A Lot Like Love
by Miss.Rainbow.Sunshine
Summary: SasuSaku.AU.CH 7.LuckIsOnMySide.Because sometimes that little stroke of luck is all we need.--He’s here with you because you’re the girl he kissed on the airplane. If it would've been that brunette, he’d be here with her. You were just lucky.--UPDATE:6/27
1. Incompatible

A.N. Hello, everyone!! I'm back with a new fan-fic! I watched this really cute romantic comedy (_A Lot Like Love_, starring Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet) the other day and I was simply inspired.

Only the basic plot of this fan-fic will be based on the movie, I cannot simply replace Ashton Kutcher with_ Uchiha Sasuke_ in the dialogue, it just doesn't work (Besides, I can't have Uchiha Sasuke selling _diapers_. That's just not right). Furthermore, I'll add in my own twists to make it a very interesting SasuSaku. I'm going to have a lot of fun _SasuSaku-fying_! This is an AU future-fic, Sasuke is 20 years old, new to the world of business, and Sakura is 18, fresh out of high school. It is set six years in the _past_ and about every few chapters there will be a time-skip until we reach the present.

So, I hope you like it! This is only a short chapter, like a small _taste_ of what is to come, I don't want to start out with a full-blown GARGANTUAN chapter because I have other fics to update, so please review and tell me if I should continue or not. Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the plotline from **A Lot Like Love**. I also don't own the title (which I am borrowing) that belongs to **_Colin Patrick Lynch_

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.Lot._Like.__**Love.**_

Chapter One: **Incompatible**

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

_6 years ago_

_They made a bet at around 2'o clock in the afternoon at a __bar_

_6 years ago_

_He met __**her**_

_And she met __**him**_

-

-

-

The pink-haired girl opened her purse and took out a handheld mirror, while the Mercedes Benz moved towards the airport. She fixed her short, curled hair into a ponytail with a white ribbon. She was your typical bubbly, cheerful and stubborn 18 year old girl, fresh out of high school. Sakura put away her mirror and smiled when she looked out the window to see that they had pulled up to a few stairs, that being the only thing standing between her and the actual airport terminal. In a couple of hours she'd be with her parents and a few weeks later she would be on her way to medical school. She was brought out of her thoughts by her companion, who she couldn't stand at the moment.

"I'll get your suitcase, you just stand out there and look pretty," spoke her companion/driver/_A lot of things_. He was of Sakura's age and she had known him since 8th grade. Sakura pouted and crossed her arms.

"I find that insulting. Are you implying that I can't do anything for myself?" argued Sakura calmly.

"No, I'm implying that you can't possibly carry your suitcase up the stairs," said the man. He stepped out of the car and opened the back door to get out her suitcase.

"Fine," replied Sakura. She slung her purse on her shoulder and stepped out of the car with an innocent elegance that is rarely seen these days. She stood a few feet away from the car as the dark-man approached with a pink suitcase and he set it down.

"Come on, don't leave mad. That's nothing to be mad about. Some of my friends agreed that you were useless and I—" Sakura's eyes widened.

"_Who_ called me _useless_?" questioned Sakura. Her green eyes narrowed, she knew something was bound to go wrong today. It was a _Thursday_, something _always_ went wrong on a Thursday.

"One of my friends,"

"And you can _still_ call him a _friend_ after he said that about me?"

"It's not like _I_ said it,"

"…fine. I forgive you," said Sakura stubbornly. She pouted and was suddenly embraced by strong arms. The young man started trailing kisses from her cheek towards her neck. Sakura giggled, maybe Thursdays weren't so bad after all.

"Hiroshi-kun! Stop it! We're in a public place," pleaded Sakura. Hiroshi smirked and soon he pressed his lips to hers. Sakura couldn't help but let this one slide, she wouldn't see him for a few months, better make this last meeting special. Sakura was oblivious to the hand moving towards her lower back until she felt a small squeeze. She gasped and stepped away from Hiroshi.

"W-what were you doing?" questioned Sakura. Hiroshi tried to put his arms around Sakura's lower back again.

"Nothing, I was just—" Sakura moved away again and slapped his arm.

"You do not have my permission to touch me like that!"

"Why can't I?"

"No! You can't just touch me like that. We've only been going out for a month!"

"Ryo and his girl have gone all the way already! And they've been going out for one_ week_,"

"So?"

"I'm your boyfriend, aren't I?" Sakura saw a dark-haired man, a little older than herself, walking with a bottle of water. She walked over to him and took the bottle, not even noticing the glare he gave her. Sakura smiled mockingly and dumped the contents of the bottle onto Hiroshi. The dark-haired continued walking and smirked. Hiroshi glared at Sakura.

"That fact may have been true a few minutes ago. We're done, Hiroshi. _Finished_," Sakura picked up her suitcase and walked up the steps. She managed to hear Hiroshi shout something before the terminal doors closed.

"I agreed with them, Sakura! I tried to use you, but it proved to be waste! You are _useless_!" Sakura controlled her temper. If she so much as glanced back, that would have meant that Hiroshi won. That he succeeded in making her feel less, but that wasn't going to happen. She would keep her head held up high and walk away with the dignity she had left. Why did she even go out with that idiot?

"_**Because we've liked him since junior year and he seemed nice. He finally asks us out…and all he wanted was a quick fuck. Stupid Hiroshi! I'm glad we wasted his time! He tried to use us!"**_ thought Inner Sakura.

"_I thought I got rid of you two months ago. I was sure Hiroshi was a good guy…but we turned out to be incompatible,"_ thought Sakura.

"_**Well, I'm back! I couldn't say anything bad about Hiroshi until you broke up with him! And dang, girl! I couldn't have done it better myself!"**_

"…"

"_**Okay, **_**maybe**_** I could've…but you dumped water on him! You sure showed him! And did you see the guy who you took the water bottle from? He was H-O-T-T! HOTT!"**_

"_Whatever…I didn't even notice his looks, I just saw his bottle and took it. That was rude of me…I shouldn't have done it,"_ Sakura stood in line for the metal detector and sighed. It was going to be a _while_.

"…_but he had the prettiest onyx eyes I had ever seen…even prettier than Hiroshi's,"_

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

"…don't let out your anger on a girl; remember what happened the last two times? First, Ami…then, Rini—" teased Naruto. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Bunch of bitches. _I_ don't even remember their names and I was the one in the bathroom with them," countered Sasuke. Naruto laughed and pulled the car up to the airport terminal.

"Have fun, Sasuke-teme! Stay away from the airplane's bathroom! Don't get in a fight with Itachi!" Sasuke bonked Naruto on the head and stepped out of the car. It was around seven in the morning, he was early for his flight to New York. His parents were making him visit his brother, Itachi, so he could learn the family trade. Business. Right now, Sasuke was on a break from the business university he attended.

"See you in a few days, dobe," replied Sasuke. He stepped out of the car in his dark jeans, white dress shirt and black leather jacket. He was certainly a _super_ hot tamale. Sasuke grabbed his water bottle and started walking towards the terminal, when he spotted a girl and a boy who seemed to be arguing.

"So?" questioned the girl stubbornly. She had pink hair tied in a pony tail. She seemed out of place in the stiff surroundings of the terminal with her tan and pink plaid skirt, pink sweater and silver ballet flats. Too delicate. Incompatible with the surroundings.

"I'm your boyfriend, aren't I?" That's when the girl turned to him and walked over. He glared. His onyx and her emerald met for a split second. Before Sasuke knew it, the water bottle had been taken out of his hands and sprayed all over the boy. He smirked at the sight; he certainly didn't see that one coming.

"_What a temper for such a short girl,"_ thought Sasuke amusedly.

"That fact may have been true a few minutes ago. We're done, Hiroshi. _Finished_," the girl huffed. She grabbed her suitcase and walked inside the terminal. The boy known as Hiroshi shouted something before the girl entered the terminal doors.

"I agreed with them, Sakura! I tried to use you, but it proved to be waste! You are _useless_!"

_Ouch. _Sasuke didn't see that one coming either, but he wasn't getting into anyone's business besides the fact that he really didn't care. He ran a hand through his raven locks and entered the terminal, oblivious to the blonde that had witnessed the sight. Naruto smiled and started to drive away.

"_Only a few minutes and Sasuke's already getting himself into trouble,"_ thought Naruto.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

_Preview For Next Chapter:_

"Who are you? My mother?"

"I don't know. When you look at me, do you _see_ your mother?"

"…"

"Well, then?"

"No,"

Smile.

"…I see my _grandmother_,"

-

"You know, kissing a smoker is the same as _licking an ashtray_. Do you by any chance carry any _Listerine_?"

"Have you ever _licked _an ashtray?"

-

"Sorry, you're not my type. I don't go for guys who make out with random girls in the bathroom of an airplane for no apparent reason,"

"Stop lying, you're horrible at it,"

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.N. Well, there you have it! It's really short because I want people's opinion before outdoing myself and typing up a GARGANTUAN chapter. I hoped you all liked it! Tell me what you loved, liked, and didn't like so much. Don't complain about the chapter length, because it'll be longer next time. I can _assure_ you. Just check out my other stories…see? I told you!

I'll accept flames, because I figure that whoever is typing them up is entitled to their opinion…even if it'll hurt. So yeah, everyone is welcome to review. Should I continue? Yes? No? Tell me what you think.

Well, I had fun writing this first chapter. Now I shall hurry and try to update my other story "A Day In The Life Of Team 7" before you all _Rasengan_ and/or _Chidori_ my ass…hehe. Until next time! Please review!

Kawaii-llely-chan


	2. I Know What You Did In The Bathroom

A.N. Wow! I was very pleased with the comments I got, and I have deemed this story worthy of continuing! A big thanks goes out to all who reviewed the first chapter! You guys are awesome! Because of your very enthusiastic reviews, I'm updating _today_, the day after posting the first chapter…which is like a record for me! If you guys keep reviewing like that…I'll end up having to update faster and faster each time, lol.

**Review Replies:**

**xo M i M i**_-_Yeah, I've never written I break-up scene before, nor have I ever broken up with someone, I'm glad you thought it was funny. GO SASUSAKU! Thanks for reviewing!

**StrawBubble-hime**_-_Thanks for the compliments, they really mean a lot to me. I LOVE funny too, that's what I usually search for. My other fic "A Day In The Life Of Team 7" is a romantic comedy, though the romance has yet to kick off. If you're in the mood for a good laugh, you should take a look at it. Thanks for reviewing!

**ChristinaAngel**-Yeah, you spelled it right. I wanted to choose an easy name for her boyfriend (ex-boyfriend now). I don't even remember where I got it from. You didn't have to wait long for this chapter, I'm glad you're looking forward to it. Thanks for reviewing!

**selandora**-I'm glad you like story! I will definitely keep it going just for you and the other people who added my story to their alerts or favorites and reviewed the story. Hmm…actually, you'll just have to read to find out what happens. –wink-

**Izari-hime**-I'm glad you were lmao-_ing_. Yes, Sakura wasn't going to let that guy get off that easily! I'm glad you love my story. Thanks for the compliments; I really appreciate the nice words. Your rushed review is perfectly fine as long as you got your two-cents in. By the way, I love how you typed 'Bye-bye!' I've never seen it that way. Thanks for reviewing!

From where we left off, our sexy Uchiha and the gorgeous Haruno Sakura had arrived at the airport terminal. What surprises await our heroes? You'll just have to read to find out!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the plotline from **A Lot Like Love**. I also don't own the title (which I am borrowing) that belongs to **_Colin Patrick Lynch_**. I also don't own brands like **_Mercedes Benz_ **(I don't even own a **_car_**, much less a **_Mercedes Benz_** or the **_company_

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.Lot._Like.__**Love.**_

Chapter Two: **I Know What You Did In The Airplane Bathroom!**

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

_6 years ago_

_They made a bet at around 2'o clock in the afternoon at a __bar_

_6 years ago_

_He met __**her**_

_And she met __**him**_

-

-

-

Sasuke waited patiently in the waiting room while reading a newspaper. He was currently skimming the business section until he came across a particularly interesting article.

_**New Uchiha Corp. President!**_

_Uchiha Itachi, only age 25, has recently been handed the title of president at Uchiha Corp. by his father, Uchiha Fugaku. It is now that we see the Uchiha Corp. on the rise to become one of the best businesses in Los Angeles, California. Recent employees of Uchiha Corp. have been interviewed on their opinions concerning this change. Their identities are anonymous. _

_Uchiha Itachi? I believe he'll be a great president. His business-savvy combined with our experience will make the company flourish, said one male employee. Though most of the people interviewed were females, their reactions consisted of blushing and giggling. Is Uchiha Itachi the heartthrob of Uchiha Corp.? Itachi-san simply smirked at the comment. _

_Me? A heartthrob? Don't be ridiculous. I'm simply doing my job as president. Though if you're looking a _heartthrob_, you should telephone my brother, Uchiha Sasuke. I'm sure he'd love to go out with any of these pretty women here at the office—_

Sasuke glared at the newspaper and he didn't notice a person sit in the chair facing him. Nor did the person notice who she was sitting across from.

"_That was a _very_ long line," _thought Sakura. She plopped down on the comfy chair and set her pink suitcase beside her, looking for the cell phone in her purse to check for missed calls.

"_**HOTTIE ALERT! HOTTIE ALERT! HOTTIE ALERT!"**_ thought Inner Sakura. Sakura ignored her inner-self and continued to rummage through her purse.

"_**He's right across from us! He's soo hott! Stop looking for your cell phone—on second thought, FIND YOUR CELL PHONE! THEN WE CAN ASK FOR HIS NUMBER AND LIKE TOTALLY GO OUT SOMETIME!"**_

"_I don't have time for this. I want to see if I have any missed calls. Ino and Tenten probably called already," _thought Sakura.

"_**Pretty please! Just take a quick look! He's soo hott! Please! Please! Please!"**_

"_Fine, just one quick look,"_ Sakura turned to look in front of her only to see a person reading a newspaper. She couldn't see their face or anything, so she leaned to the side and caught a glimpse of dark hair, but none of his face.

"_Dark hair is sexy and he's reading a newspaper. That's a clear indication that he's intelligent. We'd probably be great friends,"_ Sakura was oblivious to the pair of onyx eyes looking at her. Sakura was brought out of her thoughts by the voice of the man.

"You do know it's impolite to stare, right?" The man set down the newspaper and Sakura could see his face perfectly. Is that…? _Oh crap!_

"_That's the guy I stole the water bottle from! I need to apologize!"_ thought Sakura worriedly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the girl; she seemed to be arguing with herself.

"Did you—"

"Yes! It was _me_! _I_ stole your water bottle to dump it all over that idiot Hiroshi! _Happy now_?" spoke Sakura quickly. Sasuke looked confused for a minute, until he finally recognized the girl as the girl who was arguing with her boyfriend outside the terminal.

"I was asking if you saw what time it was before sitting down," replied Sasuke. Sakura smiled nervously and blushed.

"Eh…it's only seven-thirty. Sorry for that outburst, I'll be going now," apologized Sakura. She went to stand up, but Sasuke pushed her back down by her shoulders.

"It's fine," Sakura smiled gratefully and went back to searching for her cell phone, while Sasuke continued reading his newspaper. Sakura finally found her cell phone; only one missed call appeared with a message.

**Sakura! This is Ino. Are you in New York, yet? Probably not…well, hope you have fun! Live a little! Be spontaneous! You don't want to become a spinster when you're older! A little piece of advice; get knocked up for god's sake! Love ya, Sakura!**

Sakura giggled out loud. _That_ Ino, what a great advice-giver. She was so absorbed her thoughts that she didn't hear an announcement over the intercom. Sakura looked up when she heard the rustling of a newspaper. The man in front of her was giving her a weird look, Sakura smiled nervously and started to text-message Ino. It was then that Sasuke finally got a good look at the pink-haired girl.

"_Pink hair, green eyes and not to mention _short_. Annoying,"_ thought Sasuke, then his eyes traveled to her long pale legs and along her waist until they reached her chest.

"_Though I have to admit, this girl has some good qualities…no. I can't think about this, I need to focus on business," _Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted by another announcement over the intercom.

"All passengers flying to New York please proceed to gate 10! All passengers flying to New York please proceed to gate 10!" Sakura stood up, grabbed her suitcase and quickly walked to gate 10. Sasuke looked annoyed. He stood up and casually walked towards gate 10.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

It had been an hour and the plane had yet to take off. Sakura was getting impatient. She spotted a flight attendant walking down the aisle and she waved her hand.

"May I have a glass of water?" asked Sakura. The flight attendant nodded and went to the small kitchen to get Sakura's request. In no time at all, the flight attendant returned with Sakura's glass of water.

"Thanks," spoke Sakura politely. She set her glass of water on the pull-out table, when suddenly the person in front of her leaned their seat back and knocked Sakura's glass of water, her shirt was now soaked. A flight attendant that was walking by gasped and took the empty glass.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry! I'll get some paper towels. The bathroom is in the back of the airplane," spoke the flight attendant. Sakura sighed. Her day was just getting better and _better_. The happening went unnoticed by a raven-haired man sitting on the opposite side of the plane, one row back. He was currently looking out the window.

_Flashback_

"_Foolish little brother, you can never surpass me. Just live your life, leave everything to me. I'll bring Otou-san's company to the top,"_

_End Flashback_

Sasuke clenched his fist, good thing he wasn't sitting next to anyone or he probably would have scared the crap out of them. He really needed to cool down; splashing some cool water on his face would suffice.

Sasuke walked to the airplane bathroom and stood before the door for a second. The word _occupied_ showed up near the doorknob. Sasuke gave the door an incredulous look; he hadn't seen anyone walk over to the bathroom. What were these people trying to pull?

"_Bunch of losers,"_ thought Sasuke. He held the doorknob and gave it a good shake before a click was heard. The door was opened. Sasuke opened the door and he raised an eyebrow at the sight that greeted him. There was a girl, in nothing but a bra, holding a shirt near the sink. He raised an eyebrow, when suddenly, the airplane lurched forward and Sasuke was pushed into the bathroom, the door closing behind him. Sasuke leaned his hand on the wall to regain his balance, when the airplane tilted to the side. The girl slid onto the wall, Sasuke's tall frame hovering over the girl's small body. It was then that he noticed who this girl was. It was _her_.

"_Annoying. This girl is everywhere!"_ Sakura's sweet perfume filled his nose and that's when Sasuke noticed the close proximity between him and the girl. Her red lace bra being the only thing between him and her bare chest. Her face was tinted pink and her expression was clearly shocked. Sasuke's eyes drifted to her red lips. For some reason, a voice in the back of his head kept telling him to kiss her. The fact that this was a random girl who showed no interest him and not a fangirl intrigued him. She was a challenge. Sasuke loved challenges. He was angry to top it all off, and he needed his release. Naruto's words repeated in the back of his mind.

"…_don't let out your anger on a girl; remember what happened the last two times? First, Ami…then, Rini—"_

…but Sasuke paid no heed to them. As the plane took off, Sasuke placed both his hands on either side of Sakura's face. Her face was of pure surprise…with a hidden emotion he could not decipher. Before she knew it, Sasuke claimed Sakura's lips with his. She struggled to get away, but Sasuke's arms suddenly wrapped around her body, her hands on his chest. She wanted to fight him off, but she knew that deep down inside she wanted to be held like this. She wanted to feel like she was loved, like she did with Hiroshi, even if it wasn't real. She needed this. The plane was finally on course to New York as their lips were tangled together.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

Sasuke opened the door and casually stepped out of the bathroom. When he reached his seat, he put on the seat belt and took out his iPod out of his pants pocket. A boy that sat behind Sasuke looked confused, but shrugged it off. It was when Sakura, while blushing, came walking from the same direction, that the boy raised an eyebrow. Had they both been in the bathroom _together_?

Sasuke smirked when he watched a blushing Sakura pass by, he was tempted to say something to tease her with, but he couldn't think of anything at the moment. Not a single word had been exchanged during the ten minutes they spent in the bathroom. He watched as Sakura pulled a mirror out of her purse and began fixing her hair into a ponytail. His eyes eventually turned to the white clouds outside his window. In a few hours, he'd be with his bastard of a brother. A flight attendant walked over to Sakura.

"Are you okay, Miss?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you," As the flight attendant walked away, Sakura tried to recall how the _incident_ had started. She blushed when she remembered how the dark-haired man's lips felt against her own.

"_Get a hold of yourself, Sakura. It didn't mean anything. It's like you're friends now. He was probably just looking for a quick make-out session and you were basically looking for the same thing, someone to hold you. Stop looking into things,"_ Sakura told herself. She straightened out her shirt and sighed. Good thing her shirt had dried by the time she had walked out.

"_**OH-EM-GEE! WE TOTALLY HAVE TO TELL INO ABOUT THIS! SHE'LL BE SOO PROUD OF US! WE **_**MADE-OUT**_** WITH SOMEONE! THE FARTHEST WE'VE EVER GONE IS PRESSING LIPS TOGETHER! THIS GUY USED HIS TONGUE! AND IT WAS THE HOTTIE FROM THE WAITING ROOM! YES!! YES!!"**_ thought Inner Sakura ecstatically.

"_No, we should totally NOT tell Ino. She'll probably find some way of finding this guy's number and making me call him. Besides, _I_ didn't make-out with him. _HE_ made-out with _ME!_ But you're right…this total stranger made-out with me. Not even with Hiroshi did I do something like that. Well, at least I'm doing what Ino told me…being spontaneous. Hooray,"_ thought Sakura.

"_**You have to admit, this guy was a GREAT kisser. I mean…gosh, I can't even speak about it, my legs turn to jelly and my face becomes the color of a tomato,"**_

"_Y-yeah, he was…decent. But don't exaggerate, I'm only 18. I'm sure I'll kiss a ton of other boys in my lifetime that will be better than him,"_

"_**Pssh! Yeah, right! I can't imagine you barging into a men's restroom and making-out with the first HOTT man you see. You're too innocent…unless **_**I**_** took over, then maybe I could see US doing that,"**_

"_Argh! Stop talking about it! It's embarrassing! I let a total random guy make-out with me!"_

"_**A totally random HOTT guy, don't forget the HOTT—"**_

"_Just…well, okay. Maybe he was a _little_ hott…"_ Sakura smiled; at least she had something interesting to tell Ino when she got back. She laid her head back on the seat and fell asleep.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

Finally arriving in the New York airport, Sakura walked to the luggage center to pick up her pink suitcase. She saw her suitcase just coming out of the machine. As she walked over, she noticed a certain Uchiha leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and cell phone in hand. He was clearly waiting for a call. Sakura quietly walked over and was reaching over for her suitcase when he spoke.

"Stalking me?" questioned Sasuke. Sakura got her suitcase and shot him a look.

"_What kind of person has a _pink_ suitcase?"_ thought Sasuke, Sakura's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"I would never do such a thing,"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you did after what happened," said Sasuke emotionlessly. A light blush appeared on Sakura's face.

"I think the flight attendant was on to us. But all I have to say about the incident is…wow. Just…_wow_. Does that satisfy your ego?" With that said, Sakura walked away with her suitcase. Sasuke just watched as she practically stomped away towards who-knows-where. What was her problem? Sasuke's phone started vibrating and he answered.

"Talk…no, I'm at the airport. Leave now. I'll be there in thirty minutes," replied Sasuke and he shut his phone. He walked down two flights of stairs that led to the underground subway. He was leaned against the laminated brick wall when he heard soft footsteps come down the stairs. He looked over with the corner of his eye and rolled his eyes.

"_You_ again? What are we? _Friends_ now?" questioned Sasuke annoyingly. Sakura smiled at him and leaned against the wall next to him.

"Well, if you say so. I'm Haruno Sakura," said Sakura friendlily. Sasuke nodded.

"It suits you," replied Sasuke. Sakura crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"Well? Aren't you going to tell me your name? I deserve to know the name of the man that could have raped me in the airplane bathroom,"

"Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke," replied Sasuke. Sakura tilted her head to the side and shrugged.

"Never heard of it," Sasuke was slightly surprised. Who _hasn't_ heard of him? _Everyone_ knows who he is.

"Then you're probably just stupid," Loud clanks were heard as the subway train approached the two young adults. It was fairly crowded. The only two seats were on either side of an old woman. Sasuke sat on one side and Sakura sat on the other.

"_How dare he call me stupid?! I did _not_ graduate TOP of my class for being stupid. I don't care if he's good-looking. He's a jerk," _thought Sakura. She leaned back in her seat and glared at Sasuke from behind the old woman's head. Two minutes had passed when Sasuke turned to return the glares. It was like an ongoing contest. The old woman noticed both young adults leaning back, to what seemed to be gazing at each other "lovingly". The old woman turned to Sakura and smiled sweetly.

"Would you like to sit next to your boyfriend, sweetie?" she asked. Sakura put a hand to her heart and smiled sweetly.

"Yes, I'd _love_ to," replied Sakura, the old woman didn't notice the sarcasm in her voice. They switched seats and Sakura smiled sarcastically at Sasuke.

"Well, you're just the most talkative person I've ever met, aren't you?" she questioned. Sasuke turned to her with a lazy look.

"And you're simply annoying, you know that?" Sakura shrugged him off. She had no one else to talk to; she might as well try socializing with the guy that made-out with her on the airplane.

"I just graduated Valedictorian of my class in high school. I'm visiting my parents for a few weeks. I'm going to start going to a university in the fall to become a doctor. I've always wanted to do something to help people," spoke Sakura. There was a silence.

"Am I supposed to say something to that?" questioned Sasuke. Sakura shrugged.

"Have you graduated from high school?" asked Sakura. Sasuke nodded.

"Two years ago,"

"_**Aren't you a lucky one? You snagged an older man!"**_ thought Inner Sakura. Sakura made a face.

"_Well…I certainly feel weird. Not only is Ino going to jump for joy when she hears a stranger made out with me in the bathroom of an airplane, she's going to have a heart attack when I tell her that he's older than me,"_ thought Sakura.

"Then shouldn't you be working? I imagine you're attending a university, how are you going to pay?" questioned Sakura curiously. Sasuke gave her a look.

"Who are you? My mother?"

"I don't know. When you look at me, do you _see_ your mother?" countered Sakura wittily. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"…"

"Well, then?" asked Sakura. Sasuke looked at her and answered.

"No," Sakura smiled at his reply, but he wasn't finished just yet.

"…you look like my _grandmother_," said Sasuke. Sakura's mouth was wide open; she could not believe that he said that to her!

"Well…you're older than me. If I look like your grandmother, you look like a _dead corpse_. Ha! _What_ now?" countered Sakura childishly. Sasuke smirked at her childish antics. This girl was how old? 18 years old? And she _still_ acted like a child? The subway train came to a stop and people got off and some got on.

"I'm going to laugh if we get off at the same stop," commented Sakura. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Because I know it would never happen. The chances of that are very slim," replied Sakura. Sasuke nodded at her reasoning. The train slowed down as it came to a stop in Manhattan.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

_Preview For Next Chapter:_

"You know, kissing a smoker is the same as _licking an ashtray_. Do you by any chance carry any _Listerine_?"

"Have you ever _licked _an ashtray?"

-

"Sorry, you're not my type. I don't go for guys who make out with random girls in the bathroom of an airplane for no apparent reason,"

"Stop lying, you're horrible at it,"

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.N. YAY! THE SECOND CHAPTER! And it's only been a day! This has been the fastest update _ever_ in the history of my Fan-fic career. I'm proud of myself, I hope you guys like this chapter as much as you did the last one. I really loved the compliments you all gave me! So, I just HAD to update faster for you guys! Thank you, reviewers! You guys are awesome!

Well, review and tell me what you think of this chapter. Tell me what you liked, what you thought could be better and what you simply didn't like at all (if there was anything). One more chapter until our first time-skip! Is everyone excited? Because I sure am! Well, until next time! Please review!

Kawaii-llely-chan


	3. See you later, alligator!

A.N. Again, I was very happy with the reactions of last chapter. I was a little iffy about the make-out scene because I had never written one out in my life, but then **xo M i m i** said it was perfect, so I guess she proved me wrong. Well, here's the third chapter! Again, thanks for all the reviews! You guys are awesome!

**Review Replies:**

**DivineSunSHINE.**_-_Oh, really? Wow. Did you watch the movie on the Oxygen channel? That's where I saw it. It's definitely on my top movie list. Thank you, I'll definitely keep going. Who knows what twists and turns the story will take? Thanks for reviewing!

**Sakura-n-Sasuke4ever**_-_Yeah, the movie had a moment similar to it, but I added the _grandmother_ part. I felt like Sasuke needed to be more of a jerk to Sakura, he doesn't seem outgoing like Ashton Kutcher. Thanks for reviewing!

**xo M i m i**-Are you serious? You thought the make-out scene was perfect? Thanks! I had never written a make-out scene in my _life_, in the movie it was actually a _lemon_…yeah, that would not have gone well. Thanks for being a loyal reviewer!

**KentuckyAngels**-I'm glad you love my story. You can't wait to see what happens next? _I_ can't wait to see what I come up with, I'm planning on straying away from the movie's plotline and add in a couple of twists. Thanks for reviewing!

**silentscream16**-Thanks for the compliments! They mean a lot to me! I'll definitely try to update faster next time! Thanks for reviewing!

**Selandora**-Haha! Yeah, Sasuke was a jerk…and he still is in this chapter. Next chapter…time-skip! Who knows what personality change Sasuke will go through? Or if he'll even go through one at _all_! Thanks for being a loyal reviewer!

Hi (Anonymous)-Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like the story; it really does make a person feel good. Thanks for reviewing!

**Christine** (Anonymous)-Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Thanks for being a loyal reviewer!

From where we left off, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura were both riding in the same train. Is their destination the same? Will they meet again? And what is this bet that I, the author, keep bringing up in the summary? Read to find out!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the plotline from **A Lot Like Love**, or anything related to that movie for that matter. I also don't own the title (which I am borrowing) that belongs to **_Colin Patrick Lynch_

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.Lot._Like.__**Love.**_

Chapter Three: **See You Later, Alligator!**

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

_6 years ago_

_They made a bet at around 2'o clock in the afternoon at a __bar_

_6 years ago_

_He met __**her**_

_And she met __**him**_

-

-

-

"So why are you here in New York?"

"Visiting my brother."

"Oh, that's nice," commented Sakura politely. She stood up as the train came to a stop, and so did Sasuke. _Wonderful_.

It was around one in the afternoon. The airplane ride combined with the airport time was approximately five and a half hours, and the train ride was thirty minutes. Time really flies by when you're having _fun_…or when you're busy making out in the bathroom of an airplane or bickering on the train ride to Manhattan.

"You're not laughing," commented Sasuke. Sakura shot him a look that said '_Don't-even-ask'.'_ The two young adults continued, walking up the subway stairs until they reached the ground floor. Sakura looked up at the clear sky; things were definitely getting better despite the _strange_ happenings.

"It was a joke! I didn't really think we were going to get off at the _same_ stop," retorted Sakura. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Considering it was the _last_ stop on this train's route," said Sasuke and walked faster. Sakura glared at the cement sidewalk and tugged her pink suitcase behind her. Sasuke looked straight ahead as he saw a figure approaching them.

"You always do that…that _thing_, when I say something…what was it called, again? Oh, yes! _Insult_ me! You're calling me stupid! You're a…" began Sakura, but her eyes trailed to what Sasuke was looking (_glaring_) at. She smirked and finished her rant.

"…_loser_." Sasuke shot her a glare and turned his gaze back to the dark-haired man holding a piece of cardboard that said _loser_.

"Foolish little brother, nice to see you," said the man. He had on narrow, rectangular red glasses (though Sakura could tell that they weren't _real_ glasses) and a very fancy suit. He smirked and tossed the piece of cardboard into a nearby trashcan. Sakura looked between the two brothers; come to think of it…they _did_ look alike.

"Don't call me that, Itachi," retorted Sasuke. Sakura set down her suitcase. It was _really_ heavy. She was officially tired of carrying it around, and she still had to find her parents. She might as well get it over with now.

"Uh…Sasuke, I'm going to go now. Eh…nice meeting you," spoke Sakura politely. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"You're _still_ here?" questioned Sasuke. Sakura huffed and picked up her suitcase with the last of her strength, only to put it down seconds later. Itachi's attention was drawn to Sakura.

"Hello, miss. That's an awfully large suitcase; would you like _someone_ to carry it for you?" questioned Itachi. Sakura nodded shyly and Itachi picked up the suitcase with ease.

"Why thank you Uchiha-san—" started Sakura, but was interrupted by Itachi himself.

"Don't thank _me_, thank _Sasuke_," said Itachi and thrust the suitcase into Sasuke's arms. Sasuke glared at his older brother and held the suitcase by the handle.

"Well, _Sasu-chan_, I'll see you later after you escort this pretty young lady to her destination," said Itachi and started to walk away. Sasuke simply glared at the pink suitcase in his hand.

"Uh…Sasuke? Let's get going," said Sakura. She walked ahead with her silver stilettos hitting slightly against the cement while Sasuke walked beside her. The awkward tension was getting to Sakura so she decided to break the ice with some friendly conversation.

"So…you have a _brother_," commented Sakura.

She expected a decent reply, but all she got was, "Hn."

"So, what are you _really_ doing here in New York? I highly doubt that if you treat your brother like _that_…that you would be visiting him on your own accord. Am I right?" questioned Sakura. Sasuke inwardly smirked. This girl _certainly_ was smart.

"I'm visiting on business terms. I'm planning to start my own business company and surpass my brother in six years."

"That's quite a goal you got there, don't you think?"

"Hn. I'll do whatever it takes to succeed. I will succeed. Failure is not an option," Sakura nodded and yawned. This guy certainly was determined…

"_And stubborn…AND arrogant. How does he know it'll take six years? What if takes…"_ thought Sakura.

"What if it takes ten years? _Twenty_ years? What about…FIFTY YEARS?!"

"It will take _six years_. No more, no less," replied Sasuke. He saw Sakura yawn again and he grabbed her arm. Sasuke started leading Sakura to a building.

"Hey, hey! Where are you taking me! Oh, I _knew_ you were going to rape me…_RAPI_—_"_ Sasuke clamped his free hand over her mouth and spoke.

"You're tired. Alcohol will keep you awake. I need some too, anyways," Sasuke walked through the tinted glass door and sat down at a bar stool. Sakura watched with incredulity and followed behind the dark-haired man. She sat down next to him and began whispering.

"...I can't drink. I'm only _eighteen_. Drinking age is _twenty-one_," Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"The age _will _be twenty-one when congress passes the bill," said Sasuke.

"It doesn't matter; it's only _two o'clock_ in the _afternoon_! Who drinks at this hour? Look around! We're the _only_ ones here!!" exclaimed Sakura. A tumbleweed blew by in the empty bar, apart from the two figures on the bar stools and a bartender.

"I don't care. We're not leaving until we have a couple of drinks," said Sasuke sternly. Sakura looked appalled.

"_Drinks_?! I thought you were talking about a little _sip_—" started Sakura but was interrupted by a female bartender that came over. She had many tattoos and piercings. All in all, Sakura was _very_ intimidated by this woman's tough appearance.

"You guys make a very cute couple. What would you like?" said the bartender friendlily. Before Sakura could protest about the fact that Sasuke and she weren't a couple, Sasuke answered smoothly.

"Two D-shots." The bartender nodded and Sakura slumped against the bar counter. At least he didn't order a huge pitcher of beer. The bartender soon came by and placed their order in front of them. Sasuke drank the shot in one gulp while Sakura warily fingered the hem of her tan and pink skirt. She hesitantly brought the shot to her lips and stuck out her tongue. Sasuke rolled his eyes, a minute passed and Sakura _still_ hadn't made a dent in her shot.

"Just drink it, woman!" commanded Sasuke. Sakura was startled and accidentally swallowed the entire shot too quickly. She coughed and made a face. The bartender smiled lightheartedly.

"That was _gross_…I'm going to need another to help along the other one. I think it's _stuck_," commented Sakura.

"Is that it?" asked the bartender.

"_**Ohh! Ohh! Get a double!! Be a risk-taker! Like Ino said! Be spontaneous!" **_thought Inner Sakura. Sakura nodded, she would follow Ino's advice and be spontaneous!

"On second thought, make them _doubles_," said Sakura. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Miss, those _were_ doubles. That's why they're called _D_-shots," replied the bartender. Sakura smiled nervously.

"Just bring refills," said Sasuke. The bartender nodded and came back with a small pitcher. Sakura gulped.

"This is way too much alcohol! One more swig and I'm drunk! I don't want to become an alcoholic!"

"What about a smoker?" Sasuke took out a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket. Sakura quickly drank her second shot before giving Sasuke a surprised look.

"You _s-smoke_?" questioned Sakura. Sasuke nodded casually and lit his cigarette.

"That's bad! You know how much damage that does to your lungs and respiratory system? You could get lung cancer! I can't believe I let you do _that_ in the bathroom," said Sakura.

"You know you liked it," commented Sasuke smugly and blew a puff of smoke at Sakura's face. Sakura coughed and glared.

"You know, kissing a smoker is the same as _licking an ashtray_. Do you by any chance carry any _Listerine_?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow and drank his second shot.

"Have you ever _licked _an ashtray?"

"Well…no."

"Be my guest," said Sasuke smugly. He slid the ashtray on the bar closer to Sakura and she looked appalled.

"Eh…no thanks. I'll probably lick an ashtray the same day you succeed with your goal to surpass your brother," said Sakura lightheartedly.

"I dare you to say that again."

"I don't think you'll be able to surpass your brother. To make matters worse you wanna do this in six years, when it has taken the tycoons of the business world even longer than that to get close to the top," said Sakura confidently. She crossed her arms and smirked.

"Wanna bet?"

"Of course."

"Hn," mumbled Sasuke and drank his third shot. He took a napkin and wrote a combination of numbers on it.

"This is my parent's number."

"You still live at your parent's house?"

"Parent's _mansion_. Call this number. When my mom answers and tells you that I don't live there anymore she'll give you my new number. Call that number, when the voice of a woman answers, ask her how much you owe me and the address you should send it to," said Sasuke smugly and drank, yet another, shot. Sakura stuffed the napkin with the phone number in her purse.

"So sure you're going to have a _wife_? With that arrogant attitude of yours I wouldn't be surprised if you scared women away," said Sakura and smirked.

"My life will be perfect."

"Oh, really? Well, when your life isn't perfect and you _lose_, you are going to admit your biggest fault because you, Uchiha Sasuke, are not perfect," said Sakura smugly, "Let's shake on it to make this official."

"How old are you? Twelve? Ten? No, we're going to drink to it," said Sasuke and held up his fifth shot glass. Sakura warily picked up her third shot. They pushed their glasses together and then they drank the contents in one gulp.

"Oh Kami-sama…I think I'm a little dizzy," said Sakura. She rubbed her temples and popped a breath mint into her mouth as Sasuke paid the bartender for the drinks.

"I think we should leave now," said Sakura. Sasuke gave her a look.

"I paid for these drinks. We're not leaving until every single drop is gone and I already drank my fair share," said Sasuke. Sakura turned to the pitcher and saw that there were exactly two shots left for _her_. Oh _boy_…

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

"What is your problem? I drank one of your shots. You're such a lightweight, woman," said Sasuke. Sakura waved her hand.

"No, no! You're right. I only weigh around 120 pounds," said Sakura and grinned. Sasuke rolled his eyes; this woman could seriously _not_ hold her liquor. They just needed to bump into her parents so they could get a load of this.

"My parents are waiting for me around Parkway Plaza. It should be a little while away," said Sakura and put her arm around Sasuke, well, _tried_ to. Sasuke looked at a street sign and gave it a deadpan look. Oh, this was _precious_!

The pair stopped walking as Sasuke scanned the street. No sign of any people with pink hair, or any _abnormal_ color for that matter. This was good. They were making progress. Now to sober the girl up…

"Sakura! Is that you?"

Shit.

Sasuke and Sakura looked in the direction of the voice to see a red haired woman and a brown haired man. They seemed to be in their early forties and bared a small resemblance to Sakura.

"Oh! Hi mom! Dad! Nice to see you!" greeted Sakura. She hugged her mom and then turned to her dad.

"Hey, dad! Can you…carry my suitcase?" said Sakura and pointed to the pink suitcase on the ground. Her dad smiled and picked it up.

"So, are you ready to head to the Museum of Natural History? It has this new exhibit with rabbits and how their cadavers show the evolution of their eating habits," said Sakura's dad. Sakura froze up. There was no way _anyone_ was going to get her to see dead rabbits. Sasuke looked down at Sakura, wondering what excuse she would come up with.

"Oh! Mom, dad! I almost forgot to introduce my friend. His name is Uchiwa Sanosuke!" said Sakura cheerfully. Sasuke nodded slowly and shook her parents' hands.

"Nice to meet you, Uchiwa Sanosuke…Sakura, dear, don't you mean _Uchiha Sasuke_?" questioned Sakura's mother. Sakura shook her head.

"No. Definitely…Uchi_wa_ Sa_nosuke_," said Sakura, "Well…we're going now!"

"Where are you going, dear?"

"Sasuke has an _appointment_ with _you-know-who_…the psychiatrist…and he asked me to come with him. Bye!" said Sakura. She began prancing down the street with Sasuke trudging behind her. After they turned a corner, Sakura grabbed Sasuke's collar and shoved him up against the wall.

"Okay, I admit that I'm a little out-of-it, but you bought the drinks so you're going to be my photographer for the rest of the day," said Sakura. She pulled a hot pink digital camera out of her purse and gave it to Sasuke.

"Let's skip to the Botanical Gardens!" Sakura tried to skip away, but she tripped on a crack in the cement. Sasuke caught her just in time and Sakura gave him a nervous grin.

"L-let's not skip to the Botanical Gardens. How about a taxi? I'll pay," suggested Sakura as she stood up. She walked over to the edge of the street. Sakura lifted up her skirt a little and stuck out her pale leg. She waved a hand and smiled prettily at the first taxi that slowed down.

"Taxi, please!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Oh, for _you_…_anything_. It's free," said the taxi driver. Sakura grinned and motioned for Sasuke to come over. This girl never ceased to amaze him.

"See? It's a free-ride. And I got it all by myself," whispered Sakura. Sasuke gave her a look.

"Seducing old taxi drivers, that _is_ masterful."

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

"Okay, Sasuke, step a little to the left. Yeah…that's it. Now _hump_ the tree…I was _kidding_! Don't give me that look," said Sakura as she took a picture of Sasuke by a green tree with white flowers.

_(Click! Sasuke was leaning on the majestic tree with his arms crossed, looking into the distance.)_

"Are you going to blackmail me with that picture?"

"No! 'Course _not_! I'm going to show it to, Ino-pig, and prove that I have male friends," said Sakura. She was walking over to Sasuke when she spotted a swing hanging from the tree. She tossed the camera to Sasuke and plopped down on the swing. In no time, she was fairly high up.

"Hey, Sasuke! Take a picture of this!" exclaimed Sakura.

_(Click! A close-up of Sakura's grinning face with a crown of small white flowers on her head.)_

Five minutes later, the pair was walking near a patch of sunflowers. Sakura approached a sunflower with a bumblebee and a butterfly nearby.

"You're going to get stung by that bee, Sakura," warned Sasuke.

"No, I won't!"

_(Click! Sakura was smiling, a purple butterfly resting on her index finger. The bumblebee rested itself on one of the flowers atop of Sakura's head.)_

BZZ! BZZ!

"Ouch! Meanie! Why do bees have to be so mean?" exclaimed Sakura.

"Told you," commented Sasuke smugly.

_(Click! Sakura was pouting and sucking on her index finger while looking at the bumblebee flying in the air.)_

"Oh, look! What a cute dog! Miss, do you mind if I pet it?" exclaimed Sakura giddily. She bent down to a fluffy white dog's height and smiled. The owner smiled at the sight.

_(Click! Sakura was giggling and holding the little white dog in her arms while the dog tried to lick her cheek.)_ Sasuke pulled the camera away and just looked at Sakura as she stood there. Her face was content and the sun was hitting her hair at just the right angle that it made it glimmer like never before.

"Hey! We should take a picture together, that way Ino-pig doesn't think you're just some random guy off the street," said Sakura.

"I'm just a stranger off an airplane. Does that count?" questioned Sasuke. Sakura rolled her eyes as she leaned her arm out and took another picture. The pair of young adults spent most of the afternoon at the Botanical Gardens taking pictures, in Sasuke's case, or fooling around, in Sakura's case. It was around six in the afternoon when they were walking back to Parkway Plaza.

"So, you're telling me that I'm a bad kisser?" questioned Sasuke. Sakura nodded determinedly.

"_**Admit it; you're friends with this girl. This has been the ONLY girl you've actually **_**talked**_** to,"**_ thought Inner Sasuke.

"_Where'd you come from? And no, I'm not friends with this girl,"_ thought Sasuke.

"Yes. You're a bad kisser. I didn't appreciate your actions back on the airplane," replied Sakura.

"Liar. You want me," said Sasuke smugly.

"_**Just say it. There's an attraction between you two. It's clear as day!"**_ insisted Inner Sasuke.

"Sorry, you're not my type. I don't go for guys who make out with random girls in the bathroom of an airplane for no apparent reason," countered Sakura.

"Stop lying, you're horrible at it."

"I'm not lying. I want a man who's handsome, intelligent, ambitious and protective. He has to care about me, even though he may not show it. I want my knight-in-shining-armor to sweep me off my feet," said Sakura dreamily and sighed.

"_What attraction? And even if there was one, I wouldn't tell you. You're not even real," _denied Sasuke in his mind.

"Your life isn't some fairytale you can erase and change from beginning to end, you know."

"Hmm, I'll write my fairytale. I'll live in _a castle in the sky_! I'll meet my prince and we'll live happily ever after!" said Sakura cheerfully and turned to Sasuke, "How does that sound?"

"Really optimistic."

"_**Don't lie to yourself, Sasu-chan. Don't do it, it's not worth it. Though it may still be too early in the game," **_commented Inner Sasuke.

"Oh yeah? Well, what about your _perfect life_? Isn't that too hopeful?"

"I'm destined for it. I'm doing everything it takes to achieve that goal," replied Sasuke. Sakura nodded. A car stopped beside them and honked twice. Sakura smiled and turned to Sasuke.

"Don't forget the bet! Good-bye is forever so I'll just say..._see you later, alligator_!" exclaimed Sakura and stepped inside her parents' car. Sasuke waved lightly before stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"_Perhaps we get along and she's easy to talk to, but that's it. She's childish," _admitted Sasuke. Inner Sasuke threw confetti, before frowning. Sasukeshook his head and stuck his hand out to stop a cab. He stepped inside and ordered the Taxi driver to take him to Uchiha corp.

"_**It's sad, really. We may never see this girl again, and I really liked her cheerful attitude."**_

"_Oh, shut up."_

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

_Preview For Next Chapter:_

…It was a metallic silver color, but not overpowering and unexpected on her part...It looked like a silver cascading waterfall as it moved, and it shimmered with the moonlight.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.N. Yippee! The third chapter is OUT! WOOHOO! I hope you guys liked this chapter; personally, I thought the scenes in the Botanical Gardens were cute. Well, review! Tell me what you loved, liked and didn't like so much! I really like reading what everyone has to say. There was more humor in this chapter, so I hope that satisfied my humor-craving readers/reviewers.

Well, next chapter we're going to have a time-skip, probably a year, but still, keep that in mind. I trailed off the plotline a little in this chapter, and I'll probably start off with the next chapter with a similar predicament like in the movie, but then the twists will begin. Review if you have any suggestions on twists that the story could take. I'll take them into consideration and your idea might appear in the story!

Also, if you have any cute one-liners and jokes, put them in your review and I'll try to put them into the next few chapters!

Well, I'm happy. I hope you're all happy. Oh! Can anyone guess what the item described in the preview is? If you can, I'll try and update faster just for you! Until next time!

Kawaii-llely-chan


	4. I Remember You!

A.N. Hey, everyone! Thanks for the compliments! By the way, the _twists and turns_ start **now**…I'll probably include some parts from the movie, but not too many. It's a maze to the end from here on out. _I_ don't even now what the ending is, I'll just have to take a shower and see. You should probably all know that most of my inspiration comes to me while I'm in the shower. I have no idea why, but it just does. Weird, huh? Does anyone here get there inspiration from something weird? Just wondering.

From where we left off, Sasuke and Sakura went their separate ways. Will they meet again? Have they forgotten the bet? WHEN WILL THEY END UP TOGETHER?! Read to find out!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the plotline from **A Lot Like Love**, or anything related to that movie for that matter. I also don't own the title (which I am borrowing) that belongs to **_Colin Patrick Lynch_

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.Lot._Like.__**Love.**_

Chapter Four: **I Remember You!**

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

_4 years ago_

_She realized something_

_4 years ago_

_She could tell __**him**_everything

_Even if __**he**__ didn't _care

_Even if __**he**__ wasn't _there

-

-

-

"Sakura! Open this door! It's _freezing_ cold!" A blonde woman banged on a wooden white door. She was a _little_ impatient.

Sakura wiped her eyes and rushed to the door. "Don't exaggerate, Ino! It's 72 degrees! I'm coming!" replied the pink-haired woman hurriedly. Yes, _woman_. Over the last two years, she had matured. She was no longer a naïve _girl_; she was a _woman_, yet she was still a _bit_ naïve.

She ignored the umbrella on the ground, thinking she wouldn't fall, and she tripped. Okay, maybe she was _a lot_ naïve.

Sakura opened the front door and smiled. She had changed over the years. Her hair was a little longer, but it reached her shoulders since it was curled. She had bangs that swept diagonally across her pretty face and her emerald eyes still glowed. The blonde woman looked at her and smirked. Sakura was wearing a red long-sleeved baby doll shirt, dark skinny jeans, and cute black ankle boots. A silver bracelet jingled on her wrist as she fixed a black ribbon atop her head.

"Come in, Ino," said Sakura politely. Her blonde _house_mate whistled lowly as she tossed her jacket onto the nearby couch.

"Well…don't _you_ look nice? Where are you going, little missy?" questioned Ino. Sakura tensed and smiled nervously.

"I was going to see—"

"Oh! I _know_ who you were going to see," said Ino slyly, "_Renji_."

"Well…yeah," said Sakura. Ino giggled and clapped her hands.

"Then what are you waiting for? Get going! Maybe he'll take you to that cool party that's in a couple of days! Good luck!" exclaimed Ino happily. She tossed Sakura her black leather purse and pushed her out the door.

"Don't forget the details," said Ino and winked before closing the door. Sakura sighed and started walking to her meeting place with Renji a few blocks away, forgetting she even owned a car. Maybe a chocolate muffin would take her mind off the bad premonition she was having.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

Boxes filled with papers were stacked everywhere. Not a computer or telephone was in sight, all that was in the large room were cubicles occupied by people (sitting in revolving chairs) filling up more boxes with paper.

"Oh! Bring me a cappuccino! Hinata-chan let me try hers one time. It tasted soo good!" said Naruto cheerfully; unaware of the pair of light lavender eyes glaring at him from behind a cubicle. The blonde boy grinned at his best friend from his revolving chair.

"Whatever, dobe," said Sasuke. He put on his dark pair of sunglasses and smirked as his best friend glared. The youngest Uchiha had not changed much, but he looked just as attractive as ever with his spiky ebony hair and onyx eyes. The thick crimson and skinny black vertical stripes of his button-down shirt contrasted with his pale skin and dark jeans. All in all, he still had that sexy aura to accompany his superiority complex. Sasuke walked out the wooden doors of the office. An elevator trip later, Sasuke exited the building and drove away towards a small café in his black viper.

The young Uchiha had started his own company almost a year ago with some of his long-time friends. It was called _Picture Perfect Inc._, a company that made advertisements and handled the marketing of important events. Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Neji, president and vice-president respectively, managed the _actual_ business along with Hatake Kakashi. Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba and Rock Lee took care of the photography and design with some other employees. Hyuuga Hinata was the receptionist and the only girl in the entire staff, because of Naruto's constant begging and Neji's excuse of having to keep an eye on her.

Sasuke parked in front of _Café du Soleil_ and casually strolled to the door. A jingling-noise echoed as he entered and he stood at the counter waiting for someone to take his order. He rang a little bell once, when suddenly he heard a woman talking on a cell phone from a small table next to the window, but he didn't care enough to spare a glance.

"You're coming, right? _R-right_…?" she asked and paused, "You're n-not…but w-why?"

She sniffed a little, "I-I t-thought you s-said…_oh_. I-I was w-wrong _again_. I-I don't…matter." It was clear to Sasuke that the woman was close to bursting into tears. It was then that an employee came through a door to the back and took Sasuke's order. He sighed and the woman continued talking to the person on her cell phone.

"N-no, it's n-not s-see you later. Th-this…th-this is g-good-bye f-for…" Something about what the woman said made the image of a pink-haired girl appear in Sasuke's mind. Her words echoed through his mind.

_(I'd say good-bye, but that would be forever. Instead I'll say…see you later alligator!)_

He shook his head and leaned on the counter with his eyes closed.

"…_Forever_." Sasuke opened an eye and saw the woman wipe her eyes before walking to the counter and resting her head on her elbows. This wasn't the girl he had met two years ago, her hair was darker. It looked kinda…red. Or maybe he was hallucinating. No, that can't be. _Itachi_ was the one he suspected of mental problems.

"I _knew_ I should have eaten that chocolate muffin _that_ day and _today_. First, Hiroshi…now, _Renji_…if only I could change things," spoke the woman softly, oblivious to the man, and began eating a small chocolate muffin. Sasuke opened both his eyes and took off his sunglasses. His attention was immediately attracted to the head of pink hair.

"_**Idiot! The only reason her hair looked darker was because of the sunglasses! IDIOT!"**_ thought Inner Sasuke. Sasuke cleared his throat and casually looked around the café. Sakura paid no attention to him and continued sobbing quietly.

"Your life isn't some fairytale you can erase and change from beginning to end, you know," said Sasuke. Sakura immediately looked up to see the ebony-haired man gazing at the café window. Could it be…?

"What happened to your _knight-in-shining-armor_? And the _castle-in-the-sky_?" questioned Sasuke. Onyx met emerald for the second time, before Sakura's widened.

"…Uchiha Sasuke, right? I remember you!" exclaimed Sakura. She wiped her eyes and smiled lightly.

"I'm not one to be forgotten," commented Sasuke. Sakura rolled her eyes and stood up straight.

"Well, in case you forgot about _me_, I'm Haruno Sakura," said Sakura. Sasuke shot her a look.

"It's hard to forget a girl with pink hair," said Sasuke dryly. Sakura glared.

"You haven't changed a bit. Your stupid attitude is the same," said Sakura and crossed her arms. The employee came back with six hot cups, each in its own little brown bag. Sasuke paid the employee for his order and Sakura's.

"You didn't have to pay for me! I was dumped, not _mugged_ on my way here!" protested Sakura. Sasuke ignored her.

"I owe you a muffin," said Sakura. Sasuke tried to carry his purchase but struggled (a _bit_, though he would never admit it) to carry all _six_ cups.

"Need help?" Sasuke didn't look at Sakura, and she took it as her cue to grab the two remaining cups. The pair walked out of the café, towards Sasuke's car.

"So…why do you need all this caffeine? Do you have _relationship_ troubles?" questioned Sakura humorously. She had left herself _wide_ open for Sasuke's answer.

"I should be asking _you_ that," commented Sasuke, not realizing that what he had said affected Sakura. He stepped in his black viper and looked at Sakura. She took it as her cue to sit down in the passenger's seat. Soon, they were both on their way to Sasuke's business building. No one said anything, but the silence seemed to ask Sakura what was wrong.

"…I should have known the relationship wouldn't have lasted long. He worked for a very important business company and he was always busy. He never stopped thinking about his job. All he cared about was a promotion that he could get. I supported him, but he didn't need me to," spoke Sakura softly.

"He _never_ needed me. I should have realized he would have fallen for his pretty secretary. I was so stupid. I guess I didn't grow up after all. I'm still the same girl from the airport. You probably don't give a damn about what I'm saying…" said Sakura bitterly. Sasuke didn't say anything and Sakura shook her head.

"…but I don't care. I needed to get that all out. No questions asked," said Sakura, suddenly her mood changed, "You're good at listening to people's problems. Or at least…_pretending_."

"I get practice at work," said Sasuke. Sakura nodded. The rest of the car ride was silent until the pair walked into the office building.

"So…this is the business that will one day surpass your brother's," commented Sakura. She smiled at a dark-haired girl at the front desk before following Sasuke to the elevator.

"It _will_ surpass my brother's. My life will be _perfect_," said Sasuke. Déjà vu hit Sakura like a ton of bricks.

"I remember everything now; the bet, the park, going to the bar and the…_thing_." Sasuke smirked.

"You're still hung up about that?"

"Who _wouldn't_ be? Some potential-rapist barges into the bathroom and…a-and..._yeah_, I'm not going into detail," said Sakura. The elevator came to a stop and both adults stepped out, Sakura following Sasuke to a pair of wooden doors. They both walked inside the room and some people leaned out from their cubicles to gaze at the sight. Sasuke was slightly smirking about something as he set down the coffee he was carrying on a table. He then took the cups from Sakura's hands. For a brief second their hands touched and it was like a spark of lightning.

"Go wait in the car," said Sasuke, back in his corporate attitude. He walked through two translucent doors on the other side of the room, which Sakura assumed to be his office. She saw a lone 2 in. by 3 in. rectangle piece of paper on the table by Sasuke's car keys and picked it up.

"_Daaannng, they have matching outfits and EVERYTHING with all the red and black they're wearing. They look like a power couple," _thought Kiba as Sakura smiled and walked out of the office. Sasuke followed after her a few seconds later. Soon, they were on the road again towards Sakura's house.

"Where do you live?"

"Oh! Two blocks away from the café I bumped into you," replied Sakura, "Well, my life is stuck in a bottomless pit. What about yours?"

"No."

"Oh, that's good. At least one of us is jumping with joy."

"Forget him. You're wasting time worrying about your emotions when you could be working on your…dream or whatever."

"You're right…wait, just a second here. You're telling me this so I don't find my prince charming and _you_ win the bet. Well so-_rry_, but I'm not falling for it. I'll win, just wait and see Uchiha Sasuke," said Sakura confidently.

"You wish."

"I'm not wishing," countered Sakura cutely.

"That was a childish comeback. Grow up. You're immature," critiqued Sasuke.

"I'll take that as a compliment. I'd rather act too young than _too old_. I wouldn't want to end up like _someone_."

"Whatever."

"Oh hey! We're in my neighborhood, I'll tell you when to stop…" said Sakura, "Stop here…okay, well…you remember what I said last time, don't you?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow as Sakura stepped out of the car.

"See you later alligator!" exclaimed Sakura and waved as Sasuke drove away. She smiled sadly and walked into her house, soon reminded of her recent heartbreak. She plopped onto the couch and hugged a pillow against her chest, very tempted to burst out in tears. Ino came running like a speeding bullet as soon as she heard her best friend close the door.

"You're home! I was wondering why you didn't take your car…w-what happened? You look kinda pale," said Ino worriedly. Sakura took in a deep breath. She wasn't going to cry over him, never again would she cry over a man.

"He broke up with me this morning. He didn't even have the courage to tell it to my face. He broke up with me over the _phone_," said Sakura. Ino frowned.

"ARE YOU _SERIOUS_?! THE _NERVE_ OF THAT JERK!! AFTER ALL YOU GUYS HAD BEEN THROUGH!!" shouted Ino angrily. Sakura sighed and laid on the light blue couch.

"I really did love him…or maybe I didn't _love_ him. Either way, I should have seen it coming. Those late nights at work and never answering the phone at night were clear signs, but I kept thinking it was just a silly theory. Two men and both times I've been heartbroken…maybe I'm not good enough. Maybe…I'm _ugly_," sulked Sakura.

"No! You're the prettiest girl I know! Sakura…you deserve better than both those bastards. The way I see it, you're better off without him. Remember that time he asked you to quit schooling because he thought you were flirting with guys? He was such a hypocrite. Good thing you didn't, Sakura. Just wait. You'll get your knight-in-shining-armor. Remember what they say…_third times the charm!_"

"Thanks Ino," said Sakura gratefully.

"Just curious here, but…I get to be the maid-of-honor at the wedding, right?"

"Only if I'm _your_ maid-of-honor, but I think we should find our potential husbands _first_ before making these kinds of arrangements."

"You're right…but that's why we have our address book, right?" reasoned Ino and pulled out a fluffy pink notebook from under a couch cushion. In less than a minute, Ino had dialed a number on her cell phone and shoved it in Sakura's hand as someone picked up.

"Hi! This is Haruno Sakura! Is Shin there—"

"_Shino_!" corrected Ino.

"I mean…_Shino_…he's not? Well…are _you_ free—Oh…_oh_! Sorry for the misunderstanding! I just assumed you were both…_yeah_, I'm going to hang up now. Bye!"

"Well…? How'd it go?"

"Ino, Shino is going out with someone."

"What's her name?"

"Don't you mean what's _his_ name?"

"No! I mean…_oh! _Well, it's okay. We have an entire book of names to go through!" Sakura giggled and stuffed her hands in her pockets, when she felt something inside. Sakura took the item out and smiled.

"You know what, Ino? I won't need your help. My muffin already got me a date," said Sakura and skipped all the way to her room, leaving a _very_ confused Ino.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

The next day, Sakura woke up around 10:30 am and got dressed. She didn't even bother getting a bite to eat and drove to a familiar tall building. Sakura parked the car and leaned against the side as she dug through her purse.

_Picture Perfect Inc._

_2715 Main Street_

_San Francisco, California_

_(314)576-4892_

She grinned when she found the business card tucked away in her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Sakura dialed the company number and smirked when she heard someone pick up.

"Picture Perfect Inc. on the l-line, h-how may I help y-you?" asked a quiet voice, whom Sakura assumed to be the shy secretary she saw a few days ago.

"Ano…this is Haruno Sakura, and I was just wondering…is Uchiha Sasuke there?" spoke Sakura politely.

"W-why yes he is. W-would you like me t-to tell him you're calling?" questioned the secretary.

"Oh, no. That won't be necessary. Don't even mention this conversation to him, okay?"

"Y-yes, m'am."

"Thank you so much. See you in a minute," said Sakura.

"You're welcome. S-see you in…" trailed the secretary. The indigo-haired woman stared at the phone in her hand and hung up. A look of confusion appeared in her pale, pearly eyes.

"…a m-minute? W-what?" questioned the woman. She looked up from her desk to see the glass front doors open and reveal a pink-haired beauty, the same woman who was with her boss a few days ago. Her hair was a pink cascade of shiny tresses reaching below her shoulders. She wore a cerulean three-quarters sleeve shirt, a matching plaid skirt that reached her knees and silver stilettos. The young woman set her hands on the front desk, her silver clutch in one of them. Hinata didn't know what to make out of the scene.

"I'll just be here for a few minutes, don't tell anyone I'm here," said Sakura secretively and put an index finger up to her lips. Hinata smiled and nodded. Sakura happily walked into the elevator and waited patiently for it to take her to the 9th floor. When the elevator door opened, Sakura rushed out of the elevator. She came up to the familiar wooden doors and pushed them open. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at her, but Sakura simply walked to the two translucent doors at the other end of the room. She took a deep breath before opening them up and walking inside Sasuke's office. As soon as the door closed, cat calls and whistles could be heard.

"Dude, she's _hott_!"

"I'd want me a piece of _that_!"

The ebony-haired man was facing the huge windows that made up the back wall of his office. His cell phone rang and Sasuke answered quickly, his back was still facing Sakura and he hadn't noticed she entered.

"No, I'm not expecting anyone. I'm the only one in my office," answered Sasuke with his usual business-like face. A swirl of appall appeared on his face after hearing his reply.

"…_what_? No! You can keep your _books_." Sakura sat down on the edge of Sasuke's desk and looked around his office. The only things in the room were Sasuke's cleared desk with two neatly stacked boxes atop and his chair.

"What is _wrong_ with you? I'm demanding an explanation. No…don't you _dare_ put me on hold! I'm your _boss_!" Sakura's eyes caught sight of a familiar shade of hot pink in one of the boxes.

"_No, it couldn't be. Just because I lost it when I was with Sasuke…doesn't automatically mean he has it. Besides, if he did have it…why would he keep it? They were just pictures taken in the spur of the moment with that camera. Nothing special,"_ thought Sakura as she shook her head to clear her thoughts. Sasuke caught a glimpse of light pink, turned around and caught sight of Sakura.

"I do _not_ need to get laid…" He stopped in mid-sentence and Sasuke could practically _hear_ Kakashi smirking as he got his reply.

"Just shut up and get back to work," said Sasuke, clearly frustrated and closed his cell phone. Sakura continued to look around the office until she came across the look Sasuke was giving her and smiled.

"I'd hate to work for you. You're a jerk to your employees," commented Sakura. Sasuke crossed his arms.

"Why are you here?"

"Oh! I was just wondering…if you…wanted to go out for a…drink or something, considering I owe you for the muffin you paid for," said Sakura sweetly. Sasuke turned around to face the glass windows again.

"I have things to do."

"Come on! You need a little distraction before returning to your crazy business life. A little fresh air would do you good," reasoned Sakura.

"Sakura—" Said girl hopped off the mahogany desk and took a hold of Sasuke's hand before making her way through the translucent doors.

"Then it's settled. We're leaving this mind-numbing establishment and breathing _real_ air." The employees of _Picture Perfect Inc. _stared as the pair walked out of Sasuke's office together. Sakura stopped with Sasuke alongside her.

"Why are they staring?" asked Sakura.

"Just keep walking before they ask questions," ordered Sasuke, but Sakura didn't move. The Uchiha had to take matters into his own hands.

"And you said you didn't want to go outside…hey! Stop pulling me! I'm going to have to get my fingers _amputated_!"

"Just be quiet, they'll—"

"Sasuke-teme! Hey! Why don't you introduce me to your cute friend?"

_Cricket. Cricket._

"Since he's socially impaired at the moment, I'll introduce myself. I'm Uzumaki Naruto," greeted the enthusiastic blonde. He shook Sakura's hand strongly and grinned.

"Haruno Sakura, pleased to meet you." Sakura smiled politely, she had a feeling she was going to get along with Naruto.

"Pleased to meet you too, Sakura-chan! I'll leave you and Sasuke-teme to your…_date_, now." Sasuke bonked Naruto on the head before the blonde managed to scamper away.

"It's _not_ a date," retorted Sakura and Sasuke simultaneously. Naruto waggled his eyebrows; little gears in his mind were already turning and thinking up a plan.

"_Sure_ it isn't." Sasuke rolled his eyes, took Sakura's hand and led her away. They made it all the way to the reception, when Sakura decided Sasuke wasn't dragging her fast enough and dragged him instead. She winked at Hinata as they passed by and Hinata giggled. It was about time her boss started hanging out with nice women.

"Well, I managed to drag you out of that insane asylum. Now, where should we go—"

"I'm picking the place," said Sasuke and the tables reversed once again. Sasuke took hold of Sakura's hand and lead her away from the office building.

"Where are we going?" asked Sakura. Sasuke turned to her and gave her a smirk, though it was more like a smile.

"Do you trust me?"

Sakura's heart skipped a beat. How could such a simple question sound so complicated?

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.N. So…Sasuke and Sakura meet again in probably one of the most AWKWARD circumstances. I personally like the fact that I strayed off of the movie. If I would have done what the movie did…it would have been too expected. So yeah, I hope you all liked this chapter!

Please review! Tell me what you loved, liked and didn't like as much. If you have any cute little one-liners and jokes include them in your review! You might see it in a future chapter! Well, it's time for bed.

What will Sakura's answer be to Sasuke's question? Stay tuned! I'll try to update faster. These past few weeks have been killer for me. Don't forget to comment on this chapter.

Until next time!

Kawaii-llely-chan


	5. Expect The Unexpected

A.N. WOW! That's all I have to say for last chapter. There were about 9 reviews in less than a day! I was so pleased with the comments that I plopped down and started typing. I'll try to make more time for this story.

Now, from where we left off, Sasuke asked Sakura a simple question, "Do you trust me?" How can such a simple question sound so complicated? What will Sakura's answer be? And what's this about Sakura's muffin getting her a date? Read to find out!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the plotline from **A Lot Like Love**, or anything related to that movie for that matter. I also don't own the title (which I am borrowing) that belongs to **_Colin Patrick Lynch_

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.Lot._Like.__**Love.**_

Chapter Five: **Expect The Unexpected**

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

_4 years ago_

_She realized something_

_4 years ago_

_She could tell __**him**_everything

_Even if __**he**__ didn't _care

_Even if __**he**__ wasn't _there

-

-

-

"This _isn't_ funny, you know." Sasuke turned to give Sakura a smirk. Maybe if it had been anything _but_ that smirk, she would have forgiven him.

_Maybe_ if someone else was in her place, _stool_, it would be funny. _Maybe_ even a little. Sakura crossed her legs and drummed her fingers on the granite counter as she waited. She could have laughed, but then she remembered _she_ was in the stool next to Sasuke, and _this_ wasn't funny.

This wasn't funny at _all_.

Was this some kind of cruel _joke_? He must have done this on purpose. He must have remembered her past experience with alcohol, how she practically threw up after one _sip_.

"One Piña Colada for the young man and…"

But she was going to prove him wrong this time. She could handle anything—

"…one Strawberry Daiquiri for the young lady." Sakura stared at the tall glass in front of her. It was filled with a soft red liquid and whipped cream on the top.

—Okay, maybe not _that_. She was still a lightweight when it came to drinking, despite the fact that she hung out with people that could hold their alcohol really well. If there was anything that Sakura hoped would rub off of Ino and onto her, it was _definitely_ the high tolerance for alcohol.

"Drink it. It's good," commented Sasuke before taking a swig of his own drink. Sakura looked at the tall glass warily.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, _again_? It looks like my drink has more alcohol than yours," stated Sakura. She took a straw and started moving her drink around.

"How would you know?"

"Well, it—"

Sasuke interrupted her, "Have you tried it?" Sakura took a deep breath and held her glass up to her lips. She remembered how mad Sasuke got the last time she took small sips, so this time she took a _nice_, big swig.

Sasuke turned to look at Sakura when he heard no noise coming from her. No complaints. No coughing. No choking. This could either be a good thing…

"Oh-my-god. Oh-my-god! Oh-my-_god_!"

…or a bad thing.

"This is so _GOOD_! I _have_ to have more after this glass." Just _wonderful_.

Ten minutes later, Sakura ordered her second Strawberry Daiquiri and Sasuke was still on his first drink. He's created a monster. Sasuke was the new, modern-world, _wacky_ scientist and Sakura was Frankenstein, a _Strawberry Daiquiri-loving_ Frankenstein. But that didn't change the fact that he wanted answers, sober Sakura or not.

"Why did you come to the office?"

"I was…"

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

"Kiba. Kiba…_KIBA_!" The dark-haired man woke up with a start and he fell out of his revolving chair. Naruto laughed to his heart's content, leaning on the wall and clutching his stomach.

"Naruto! What the hell?!" shouted Kiba. Naruto calmed down and cleared his throat a couple of times. It was time to get to business.

"The Annual New Years Corporate Party is in a couple of days," said Naruto. Kiba raised an eyebrow. He already knew the party was in a few days. It was being hosted at one of San Francisco's most prestigious clubs. You could only get in with a reservation and unless you were willing to wait for _months_ before stepping foot in the building, it wasn't happening.

"…and little ol' Sasuke-teme has no date." A large grin appeared on Naruto's face and Kiba smirked. He knew _exactly_ what was going on.

"So, I need to know where—"

Kiba interrupted Naruto, "—the Pink Elephant. They were headed towards the Pink Elephant." Naruto pulled out his car keys and a pair of binoculars.

"Kiba, we're going for a ride."

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

"…wondering if any of your employees are free."

Sasuke _definitely_ wasn't expecting Sakura's answer. He had heard the saying, "Expect the unexpected", but he had never really believed it. Until now, that is.

"Sasuke…?" asked Sakura hesitantly. She was completely embarrassed, but she did what she had to do and Sasuke merely shrugged. Sakura noticed she accidentally spilled some of her drink on the counter and that there were no napkins.

"I'm going to go ask for a napkin." Sakura smiled lightly before hopping off the barstool and making her way to the nearest employee, leaving a slightly confused Sasuke.

Meanwhile, parked right outside of the Pink Elephant was a navy blue car, only separated from the young Uchiha by a glass window and the sidewalk. Inside the car were two very suspicious looking men wearing business suits, one had a pair of dark sunglasses on while the other was looking through a pair of binoculars.

"Saku-chan has walked away. I repeat…Saku-chan has walked away. Sasuke-teme is alone. It's time to make my move," spoke Naruto while looking into his binoculars. Kiba rolled his eyes and snatched the binoculars.

"Just get in there and convince him," urged Kiba. Naruto nodded and almost tripped as he stepped out of the car. He looked both ways and fixed his collar before entering the bar. He looked to his left and he saw the familiar chicken-butt hair style. Perfect.

"Hey Sasu—" Naruto stopped in mid-sentence as he watched Sakura sit back down next to Sasuke with a handful of napkins.

"I think that waiter gave me too many napkins," commented Sakura and wiped the drops off the Strawberry Daiquiri. She bit her bottom lip, she was obviously very uncomfortable.

"Probably." Naruto watched the two with a stupefied stare. This is all the interaction these two had? _This_ was it? There was going to be a change in plans if Sasuke didn't do something soon. Then Naruto realized he still had to complete his part of the "mission".

"_How to get Sasuke-teme's attention...Hmmm…"_ thought Naruto. He watched a bartender walk by with a cup with straws and he got an idea. Naruto grabbed some straws out of the cup and hid behind a tall plant before anyone could see him. He opened up the first straw and stuffed the paper-wrapping into his mouth. Naruto chewed the paper and spit out a tiny, saliva-covered wad. The twenty-year old businessman must have looked like he needed psychological help.

The perfect spit-ball chewed to perfection in less than fifteen seconds, now _that_ was a record. Naruto stuffed the spit-ball into one end of the straw and let his troublemaking-skill work its magic.

Bull's eye! Naruto watched as Sasuke rubbed his arm on his shoulder and the spit-ball fell to the ground. Oh, no! He wasn't getting off _that_ easily! Naruto loaded up the straw again and all three spit-balls hit their mark.

"Sasuke…you have something on your shoulder," commented Sakura, looking at the white _thing_ violating Sasuke's flawless appearance. It was then that she realized that Sasuke's button-up shirt was a familiar shade of forest green.

"I'll be right back." Sakura nodded and took a sip of her drink. Sasuke stood up and walked right up to his blonde best friend who was loading up his straw again.

"Naruto," spoke Sasuke. Naruto looked up quickly and threw everything he had in his hands behind him.

"Sasuke-teme, what a _coincidence_! I didn't know you were here!" Sasuke crossed his arms.

"Get to the point, Naruto. I don't have all day." Was it just him or did Sasuke seem like he wanted to get back to his not-a-_date_ with Sakura, despite his denial back at the office building?

"Okay, okay. The Annual New Years Corporate Party is in THREE days and you need a date," explained Naruto.

"And this couldn't wait until I got back, why…?" Naruto nudged his head in Sakura's direction, but Sasuke didn't seem to get the message. He was _completely_ clueless to what Naruto was trying to do and his intentions. A few feet away, the manager coughed and both businessmen turned to look at him. Sasuke was the first to recover and turned to Naruto with a fierce gaze.

"Leave. _Now_." Naruto chuckled and waggled his eyebrows before speaking, "Wanna get back to your date?"

"It's _not_ a date!"

"_Sure_ it isn't, just like you don't realize that your date to the Annual New Years Corporate Party is in this _room_!" Sasuke rolled his eyes and started walking away.

"Sasuke-teme, get back here!" whispered Naruto loudly, but Sasuke had already taken his seat at the bar. Naruto muttered a long string of incoherent words, before the manager approached him with a mad look.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to leave," spoke the manager. Naruto shook his head and pointed a finger in Sasuke's direction.

"No, I'm with _him_," explained Naruto. The manager crossed his arms and pointed to a neon sign that said, "Saturdays Are Gay Night". Naruto looked disgusted and the manager started pushing him out the doors.

"No! You don't understand! I don't like him like that! I'm trying to hook up my friend with—" Naruto words were muffled by the sound of the glass doors closing.

"Damn it," cursed Naruto and headed back to the car where Kiba was waiting. He was going to have to whip out the heavy duty supplies. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Sakura were paying and heading out of the bar.

"So, are you calm now? The stress is mostly gone, ne?" asked Sakura as the pair stepped out onto the street. It was only around noon and it brought back memories of the first time the pair met.

"Yeah," replied Sasuke.

"You should really get out more, go to parties…oh! My friends are going to a party on New Years because their parents have _connections_, but I'm not. Are you going to any of those fancy parties?" questioned Sakura.

"Yes, it's a business party. I _have_ to be there." As the pair of adults walked back to the office building, a navy blue car followed them close behind.

"Kiba! Don't go so fast or they'll see us!"

"Dude, calm down! We have tinted-windows! Just hold the poster up against the windshield when I honk," reasoned Kiba. Two seconds later, Kiba honked the car horn and Naruto pressed the large white poster board against the windshield. If Sasuke wasn't going to work things out, _he_ would just have to take matters into his own hands.

Sasuke, having heard the distinct honk from a car that could be none other than Kiba's, turned around and saw a sign. A really BIG sign. "ASK HER OUT!" were the words that adorned the huge poster board. Sasuke turned around and saw a very sluttish-looking woman in front of Sakura. No way Jose. Not in a million years.

"Oh, it must be nice to go to those fancy parties. So, about my proposition, who do you think would agree to spend New Years with me?" questioned Sakura. Sasuke thought for a moment…_nah_! There was no way he was setting up _Sakura_ with one of his _idiotic_ friends. There was just no way.

Well-mannered, naïve Sakura with one of his idiotic, _older _friends. No. That was NOT happening. _He _would rather—

—HONK! HONK!

Sasuke turned around again and saw the _same_ sign pressed up against the windshield of the _same_ car. It wasn't until Sasuke saw a tuft of blonde hair and Kiba's mischievous grin that he raised an eyebrow. Naruto stuck his head out of the car window and pointed to something walking beside Sasuke, though he seemed to be whispering the name "Sakura" as well.

Ah, ha. Sasuke finally understood what this was all about and Sakura remained oblivious to what was going on all the while. It was either let Naruto tease him for a night and have Kakashi stop teasing him for _life_, or have them _both_ tease him for life.

"It won't be anything extravagant, just a small dinner at home. I don't really like being alone, if I am…I'll probably cry all night because of…yeah, I'll stop now," explained Sakura. She pulled out a few napkins from her clutch to dry the corner of her and saw little numbers written on one of them.

"Oh! Look! The waiter gave me his number! Maybe he'll—"

"—Be ready by 10 PM," stated Sasuke. Sakura spaced out for a minute before actually realizing that Sasuke said something.

"Huh? Okay, so your faithful worker is coming by at 10 PM but who is it?"

"I don't like repeating myself, Sakura."

"But you never said…" And then, it finally clicked. "…Oh! I get it! Sasuke, you're so nice! Thank you! You're my savior!" Sakura hugged Sasuke right in the middle of the street and the navy blue car finally drove off towards the office building. People walking by would have thought they were a loving couple.

"Ah, young love!"

"How I'd wish I was young again!"

Sasuke ignored the comments little old ladies were making and finally _decided_ to hug Sakura back. He had never been in this situation before, but…it felt kind of _nice_. No, nothing felt _nice_. It was probably the alcohol's affect on him. Blame it on the Piña Colada.

"But really, Sasuke…you need to learn how to ask girls out! You're doing it all wrong! You need to treat her right!"

SLAP! Sasuke rubbed his right hand and Sakura grinned.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't the Piña Colada. _Maybe_ it was _his_ fault when his right hand lingered near Sakura's lower back too long.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

"Ino! Guess what?" exclaimed Sakura as she walked into the house. Ino rushed into the living room excitedly, practically skipping with joy.

"Oh-my-god! Just tell me!" Something near the window caught Ino's eye and she peeked through the curtains.

"I got a date to a New Years Party! My muffin _did_ help!"

"That must have been a _really_ good muffin," commented Ino as she watched a black Viper drive away. She turned to her friend, who was relaxing on the light blue couch with a beautiful smile on her face.

"_Out of every guy she's met, I don't think _any_ of them have been able to make her smile like _that_…until now,"_ thought Ino and smiled.

"Well, we better get shopping and find you the perfect dress! We're going to make your date fall head over heels for you!"

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

"What if he doesn't like it?" After forced to try on a _million_ dresses and shoes by Ino, the last few days passed by way too quickly for Sakura. She was nervous and excited with a mix of other emotions, but mostly excited. She had never been to a fancy business party before! Especially with someone like _Sasuke_.

"If he doesn't like it…? What do you mean _if he doesn't like it_? He's going to LOVE it! Oh! You'll be the talk of the party! You're going to a party, right?" reasoned Ino. She, too, was going to a fancy party because her family had _connections_. Ino was wearing a strapless violet dress that hugged all the right curves and black stilettos. Ino's blonde hair was straightened and her bangs were held out of her face by a violet rhinestone clip.

"I don't know he never—"

DING! DONG!

Sakura hid beside the door and Ino rushed to answer. She composed herself and answered the door with a smile. Sasuke said nothing but stared at the blonde with a blank stare. This went on for a few more seconds until Ino finally exploded.

"Sheesh! Is that how you hook up with girls?" exclaimed Ino. She reached out to her left and grabbed a hold of Sakura, who was pushed into Sasuke's chest.

"You sure know how to pick'em, Sakura," commented Ino dryly, and then broke out into a smile, "Have fun kiddies! Be sure to carry a condom wherever you go!" With that said, the door closed, and in less than a minute the garage door opened and Ino drove off in her red car. Sakura turned to Sasuke with a full blown blush and stepped back a little, Sasuke took this time to actually _look_ at her.

Sakura was wearing a halter-top dress that flowed down to her knees. It was a silvery color, but not overpowering and unexpected on her part. It looked like a silver cascading waterfall when it moved, and it shimmered with the moonlight. She wore silver stilettos and her hair was up in a cute bun, a diamond clip holding back her bangs. All in all, she looked _gorgeous_.

"_**Tell her she looks HOT! Tell her you wanna jump her NOW like bunnies in the spring!"**_ thought Inner Sasuke, but Sasuke dismissed those thoughts.

"You look nice," commented Sasuke, who probably would have smacked himself if he could. _Nice_? Was that the best he could come up with?

Sakura blushed and took a look at Sasuke in his fancy suit. "You look nice, too," said Sakura. Sasuke extended his arm to her and Sakura hooked her arm with his. They walked to Sasuke's black viper and were off towards their destination, which only Sasuke knew of.

"So…where are we headed?"

"A party." Sakura grinned excitedly.

"Oh, a party! I haven't been to a party since the beginning of this school year. I'm in my second year of medical school, you know. I wanna be a doctor and I'm going to help lots of people," commented Sakura, "I'll be out of school in about a year and a half!"

"I've been out of school for a year and a half." Sakura rolled her eyes then turned to Sasuke with a smirk.

"Well some of us aren't that _old_."

"And some of us aren't that young and _immature_," said Sasuke and flicked Sakura's forehead as he finished parking the car. Sakura crossed her arms, muttering things about "Stupid Sasuke" and "Old pricks". By the time Sakura noticed the car had stopped for a good two minutes, her car door opened revealing a _slightly_ impatient Sasuke.

"You coming?" Sakura nodded and took the hand Sasuke offered her. She smiled when she looked at the building where the party was being hosted. It was a glass pyramid with the main structure made out of titanium. Along the four edges there were white lights and the pathway to the building was lit by lights as well. Sakura was impressed.

"Wow, this must be some party," commented Sakura. She held Sasuke's arm and looked around the parking lot. She wasn't the only one dressed to impress, many other women were in beautiful designer dresses. It wasn't until Sakura spotted a red car that she raised an eyebrow.

"_That kind looks like…wait, never mind. There are LOTS of red cars in San Francisco, it could be anybody's,"_ thought Sakura. Just as the pair was about to walk in, Sakura noticed a familiar green car. A _forest_ green car.

Sakura let go of Sasuke's arm and just stood there. She couldn't go in there. No way. As much as she wanted to party with Sasuke, she couldn't bear to see the owner of the forest green car.

"Sakura, let's go," Sasuke's voice cut into Sakura's thoughts. She shook her head and started walking back, but Sasuke grabbed her wrist just in time.

"Sakura." Said girl looked up into Sasuke's eyes, which at this moment in time and under this new atmosphere were a shade of gray. Sasuke wasn't one to care about other people's problems, but he had to know why this girl suddenly wanted to leave after her excitement during the drive. Before Sasuke could ask, Sakura spoke.

"He's here. _Renji_ is here. I can't go in there. I don't want to be reminded of the bad things or have him sneer at me."

"_Besides…tomorrow is a Thursday. Bad things always happen on a Thursday,"_ thought Sakura sadly.

"Just trust me." At that moment, both of them remembered the same seemingly simple, but complicated, question from three days ago.

_Flashback_

"_Do you trust me?" _

_Sakura's heart skipped a beat. How could such a simple question sound so complicated?_

_Sakura thought for a moment. It's not like it had an alternate meaning, right? A simple question deserves a simple answer, but with that simple question arose many complicated ones. _

Did_ she trust him? Did she _want _to trust him? _Why_ should she trust him? They were a strange, bizarre and completely dysfunctional pair of friends. While he was void of most emotions, she seemed to be overflowing with them._

_He was ready for the _real_ world. He could _deal_ with the _real_ world. He _knew_ what the _real_ world was like. This was something her University courses could not teach her. _

_She, at the age of 20, was still naïve; she needed to protect herself from heartbreak, handle her emotions better—_

"…_No." Sasuke's hand still held onto Sakura's, her answer didn't make him falter for a second. It couldn't. _

—_and there was always the possibility that he would be the one to teach her. _

_Sakura turned to Sasuke with a small, unsure smile, but Sasuke knew. One smile, even a _look_, and he knew. _

_And that was all he needed to know, as the pair walked side by side. He had already been dragged out of his office and onto the street by this girl. If it had been any other girl, she would have been sent to the hospital on the spot by one of his killer looks. Sakura took this risk. She knew he wouldn't do anything._

_And here she was. Breathing and showing no signs of leaving the world of the living._

_She was gutsy. _

_And she trusted him. _

_Maybe not as much as her parents or her closest friend (Ino), but it was as much trust as she could give her EX-potential rapist and newfound friend. _

_End Flashback_

"…okay, I will." A weight seemed to be lifted off Sakura's shoulders and she hooked her arm around Sasuke's again. The pair walked through the glass doors of the magnificent building, ready to expect the unexpected. After all, that's what they learned those last few days.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

_Preview For Next Chapter:_

"…he's so hot! You have to introduce me!"

-

"No one wants to be that loser who doesn't get kissed on New Years. Not even you."

"…I know."

-

"Sasuke-kun! You've been robbed!"

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.N. Oh! Is it just me or do I sense some spicy DRAMA around the corner? The preview I gave you all is probably leaves you all craving to know what happens next, right? Well, the Sasuke-picking-up-Sakura-for-the-party scene was probably the hardest to write for me, but little Ino made things easier. For all Ino-lovers, I have plans for her too! My favorite part was where Naruto was getting Sasuke to ask out Sakura, it was also the most fun to write! But, what did you guys think?

Please review! Tell me what you loved, liked and didn't like as much. If you have any cute little one-liners and jokes include them in your review! You might see it in a future chapter! Well, it's time for bed.

What awaits Sasuke and Sakura at this fancy business party? Stay tuned! I'll try to update faster. Now, I'm going to study for my Chemistry test. Don't forget to comment on this chapter.

Until next time!

Kawaii-llely-chan


	6. In A Different Light

A.N. HELLO EVERYONE! ) Yes, it's taken me a while to update, I know, but this chapter will (hopefully) make that long wait worth it. There's some **fluff**, well, I _think_ it's fluff. xD

I LOVE EVERYONE WHO IS STILL READING, REVIEWING, AND CHECKING IN FOR UPDATES! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!

Ahem…xD. _Anyways_, what awaits Sasuke and Sakura at this fancy business party? And what's this about Sasuke getting robbed? Some spicy DRAMA is just around the corner. Read to find out!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the plotline (which inspired this story) from **A Lot Like Love**, or anything related to that movie for that matter. I also don't own the title (which I am borrowing), that belongs to **_Colin Patrick Lynch_**. **

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.Lot._Like.__**Love.**_

Chapter Six: **In A Different Light**

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

_4 years ago_

_She realized something_

_4 years ago_

_She could tell __**him**_everything

_Even if __**he**__ didn't _care

_Even if __**he**__ wasn't _there

-

-

-

Sakura and Sasuke entered the fancy, glass building. They really did look like a couple and pretty darn _good_ couple at that. Sasuke's left arm was wrapped loosely around Sakura's waist and Sakura held onto the left side of Sasuke's suit. Some people even stopped dancing or drinking just to gawk at them.

"They're staring…" Sakura commented shyly. She wasn't naturally shy, but a person's confidence could only take so many stares. Sakura definitely drew the line at _twenty-five_; she wasn't used to this kind of attention.

Sasuke held Sakura closer to him and made his way to an isolated corner of the building, away from the stares. "Just ignore them." Sakura nodded and caught a glimpse of blonde hair in her peripheral vision.

"Sasuke-teme! Sakura-chan! Over here!" Naruto waved the dashing pair over to the bar where he sat with other people. He grinned at the sight of Sasuke with Sakura, _holding_ Sakura.

"_All Sasuke-teme really needs is a girl, a girl like Sakura-chan,"_ thought Naruto as Sasuke and Sakura approached him.

"Hey dobe."

"Hey Naruto." Naruto smirked and waved his hands as to push the pair away. "Okay, now that you've basked in my wonderful presence, I'll leave you both to continue what you were doing." The blonde waggled his eyebrows and winked. Sasuke could've punched Naruto right then and there.

Sakura didn't see the hidden meaning in Naruto's words and tugged on Sasuke's arm. "Oh! Can we dance, Sasuke?" Sasuke shot her a look that spoke for itself, _no way_.

"Aww! It's always been a dream of mine to dance in such an elegant place. Just one song. Pretty please with a cherry on top? I promise I won't step on your toes," teased Sakura. Sasuke crossed his arms stubbornly. Uchiha Sasuke would not be teased into doing something. Bringing Sakura as his date was merely something on a check-list, but dancing was _not_ on the agenda.

Sakura nudged Sasuke's arm. "I was just teasing you, Sasuke." He didn't say anything and Sakura feared she had annoyed Sasuke.

Noticing Sakura's distress, Naruto interrupted the silence, "Don't worry about him, Sakura-chan. He'll be back to normal in no time!"

Naruto wanted to intervene, but he stopped his mind from coming up with any ideas. He had already gotten Sasuke paired up with Sakura and it was time for Sasuke to make a move. If Sasuke played his cards right, this wouldn't be the last time Sasuke would got out with Sakura.

Naruto spotted his pearl-eyed date nearby. "Just don't do anything stupid, Sasuke," Naruto whispered into Sasuke's ear and happily sauntered away. Sasuke made sure that Naruto was out of his peripheral vision before casually glancing at his quiet date. He wasn't _worried_ about her; he just wanted to see if she was back to her bubbly self.

Sakura's eyes were on the dance floor, where many couples danced to the mesmerizing music. One couple stood out as she watched them slow dance to a popular dance tune. Both the man and the woman had their eyes glued to each others, their arms wrapped around each other. It was originally intended to be a fast paced song, but the couple didn't seem to care that they were slow dancing. They were in their own little world.

"_I want that. I want to dance like that with someone special, not caring about the people around us or if there's music, just caring about the fact that we're together…"_ thought Sakura dreamily, but her thoughts were cut short.

"Sakura." Maybe it was the dim lighting in the room, but there was something wrong with Sakura and Sasuke just couldn't pinpoint it.

Sakura broke out of her dream-like trance. She spun around and was face to face with Sasuke's questioning gaze. She didn't need words to know what he was asking with his onyx eyes.

"I'm fine. It was just a silly dream, nothing big. I'm totally over it," spoke Sakura in a cheerful tone. A tug in the pit of his stomach told Sasuke that Sakura was probably lying. It was proven true when Sakura immediately turned around to wistfully stare at the couples dancing to the quick dance tune.

"_**She totally just lied to your face, man,"**_ thought Inner Sasuke. Sasuke nodded to himself before realizing that the annoying voice in the back of his head had returned.

"_You again? I thought I got rid of you,"_ thought Sasuke.

"_**I come and go as I please. Now turn that frown upside down and—"**_ Sasuke ignored the rest of Inner Sasuke's spiel. He knew what he had to do.

Sasuke took Sakura's hand in his and when he saw her questioning emerald eyes; he gave her one of his infamous smirks and led her to the dance floor. When Sasuke stopped in the middle of the crowded dance floor, Sakura was still confused.

"Sasuke, why…?" Sakura was rendered speechless when Sasuke, still holding onto one of her hands, twirled her around.

"I'm doing this because I know you'll be begging me later." Sakura couldn't help, but smile at the fact that Sasuke cared about her. And even if he was pretending, it still felt pretty good.

As the pair danced to the quick rhythm of the song, Sakura took quick peeks at Sasuke's face. His features were relaxed, which was weird compared to his usual uptight and serious expressions. But what really made Sakura blush was the sexy twinkle in his eyes, which showed that Sasuke was more or less happy even though he wasn't smiling. For someone who didn't seem to care, Sasuke was really good at faking it.

Sasuke also turned out to be a good dancer, for someone who didn't seem to get out much.

"I'm surprised. I thought you were just teasing me when you led me to the dance floor," Sakura commented. Sasuke rose an eyebrow.

"Sakura. I'm Uchiha Sasuke, not _Mr. Jokes-A-Lot_."

Sakura laughed and Sasuke couldn't deny the fact that Sakura had a really nice laugh. A pale glow seemed to radiate off of Sakura as well and she looked—dare he say it—_beautiful_. And Sasuke wasn't even drunk yet!

"Nice laugh," Sasuke commented. Sakura stopped laughing and smiled.

"A joke _and_ a compliment? This night just keeps getting better and _better_." Sasuke didn't reply, but he observed Sakura as the two continued dancing. How something as simple as dancing could brighten up her mood was beyond him. Her eyes had been dull shade of green, but the moment Sasuke led her to the dance floor…Sakura's eyes were the color of brilliant emeralds and her smile was dazzling. But even so, Sasuke would never say that out loud.

"_**She's really happy," **_thought Inner Sasuke. Sasuke, for once, agreed with his Inner. He was twirling Sakura, but suddenly…she stopped, so that her back was facing him. The couple in front of Sakura stopped dancing and her happy expression faltered. Sasuke and Sakura's happy bonding moment was interrupted by none other than…

"Renji."

Said man smirked and his brown eyes had a sly glint. "Well, well, _well_…if it isn't, little Sakura-_chan_." Sakura immediately noticed the black-haired woman at Renji's side, but it wasn't _her_.

Renji gestured towards the woman beside him and spoke, "I don't believe you've met her before. Sakura, this is Kin, my fiancée. Kin, this is Sakura, my _favorite_ ex-girlfriend."

"_**Favorite, you say? I'll show you FAVORITE!" **_thought Inner Sakura. Meanwhile, Kin and Sakura smiled at each other and shook hands politely. It was then that Renji noticed Sasuke, who was standing awfully close to Sakura and looking _pretty_ angry.

"So…who is this man? Is he your _boyfriend_? Or are you still dwelling in the past?"

The minute Sakura heard the word "_boyfriend_" she became flustered. She blushed and stuttered, "N-no, h-he's not m-my—"

"Uchiha Sasuke. I'm her _date_," Sasuke interrupted. Renji's eyes widened for a split second before speaking. He had heard about the youngest Uchiha.

"Oh, I've heard of you! You're that one guy who _thinks_ he can outdo his brother."

Sasuke's smoldering onyx eyes glared intensely at Renji.

His blood began to boil when hearing Renji's mocking words and a list of profanities formed in his mind. He didn't know what Sakura had been smoking the day she became Renji's girlfriend, but he knew why she didn't want to see him anymore. This guy was a total bastard.

"I _think_? Well, it's more than you can say," Sasuke retorted. Renji was left utterly speechless. He regained use of his mouth after glaring at Sasuke.

"Well, it was nice seeing you. Let's try answering each other's calls from now on, shall we, Sakura-_chan_?" Renji threw one last glare at Sasuke, but didn't leave without receiving a glare of his own. Kin winked at Sasuke before disappearing with Renji.

"I'm _definitely_ getting changing my number…" Sakura commented. Suddenly, she felt that the music was too loud and that the room was spinning too fast. Maybe it was all the excitement from that big confrontation between Renji and Sasuke.

"I'll pay," Sasuke commented. He noticed Sakura tilting to one side and he steadied her by holding her waist.

"You're not even drunk," commented Sasuke. Sakura smiled lightly and she slid out of Sasuke's hold. She faced Sasuke and started walking backwards, in the direction of the bathroom.

"I'm fine! I just need to go to the bathroom. No need to worry…" Sakura made it off the dance floor before turning around and falling towards the ground. Sasuke caught Sakura in his arms, bridal-style. Meanwhile, a blonde girl noticed the familiar chicken-butt hair and made her way out of the crowd.

"_What am I going to do with you?"_ thought Sasuke. Sakura's eyes were closed.

She had fainted. What's a guy to do with a fainted girl?

"Sasuke…" Sasuke looked up to face the blonde girl. She looked past him and saw her beloved best friend's pink hair. And her fainted state of being.

"…Sakura?!"

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

Little bunnies bounced around in the green meadow. Butterflies fluttered through the air. Sasuke looked mad and worried at the same time. The little bunnies and the butterflies were happy.

"_**Oh-em-gee! It's Sasuke! Yoo-hoo, Sasuke! Wait…it smells. Sakura, you **_**better**_** wake up soon,"**_ thought Inner Sakura.

And it smelled bad.

**Really** bad.

Sakura wrinkled her nose and unconsciously whacked something, or some_one_, in front of her.

"—she hit me. I told you she would."

"Ehehehe…sorry?"

Sakura could hear voices talking loudly and she was slowly regaining consciousness. She felt herself leaning on something cold on her right side and the bad odor was subsiding.

"Hn. Whatever."

"Hey! You listen here, buddy! I just helped your sorry ass and you can't even accept my apology? I have no idea what Sakura sees in you. For serious."

Sakura opened her eyes, but her vision was still a little blurry despite the bright light in the bathroom. Clearly it was a bathroom since she heard a toilet flush and Sakura assumed she was sitting next to a bathroom sink. No one noticed she was conscious and she was _very_ thirsty. So she did the only thing she could do to get attention. She wrapped her arms around the dark figure closest to her.

"I could've handled this _myself_—"

This person smelled good, too.

"—I want a Strawberry Daiquiri," Sakura mumbled. She rubbed her eyes and she could clearly see Ino's surprised face and Sasuke's normal face. Sakura could also see that she was holding onto Sasuke. She blushed and quickly let go of him, but he didn't seem as flustered by the action.

"Really?" Sasuke questioned. Sakura smiled and clasped her hands together. Ino looked between Sasuke and Sakura suspiciously.

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa_! _You_…" Ino pointed at Sakura with one hand on her hip. "…since when do _you_ drink?" Sakura froze.

"Eh…since—"

"—since she met me," Sasuke answered calmly. Ino turned to Sasuke with an astonished look on her face. For a minute, Sakura thought Ino was actually angry.

"You got her to drink? _You're_ the one who has _tainted_ Sakura's alcohol-virginity?" Sasuke nodded and Sakura prepared herself for one of Ino's angry rants.

But Ino's expression was one filled with happiness, something that Sakura hadn't expected.

"Why…this is _awesome_! Now she can come with me to bars! I don't have to go alone anymore! I can't believe you actually got her to _drink_. I tried a _thousand_ times and she would never give in! She was always too stubborn. I _totally_ forgive you, Sasuke, for being a total _jerk_ a few minutes ago."

Sasuke had basically ignored Ino's spiel and turned to Sakura with a sexy smirk. "You still want that Daiquiri?" Sakura nodded and her date was gone. The pink-haired girl hopped off the ledge and rubbed her butt. Bathroom sinks were _not_ made for sitting.

The bathroom door opened and a brunette with wavy hair walked in, wearing a fitted, strapless black dress with a small white cardigan on top. She grinned when she saw Ino. "Hey Ino! I've been looking _everywhere_ for you! You just…disappeared!"

"Oh! I totally forgot about you, Tenten! Tenten, this is Sakura. Sakura, this is Tenten." Both girls smiled and shook hands, and both girls got good vibes from each other. It was the start of a new friendship.

"So…what exactly happened after I fainted?" Sakura asked.

"Let's go to a table, I'll explain on the way there. I'm sick of being in the bathroom," Ino answered. On the way to a small table near the bar, Ino explained what happened.

_Flashback_

"_Sasuke…" Sasuke looked up to face the blonde girl. It was Ino! _

_Ino looked past him and her beloved best friend's pink hair. It was then that she noticed that Sakura had fainted. "…Sakura?!"_

"_She fainted," Sasuke explained. Ino didn't look amused._

"_I can _see_ that! Let's take her to the bathroom. I have something that might get her to wake up." Sasuke, with Sakura in his arms, followed Ino in the direction of the bathroom and seemed hesitant when walking inside the girls' bathroom. He placed Sakura beside the bathroom sink and watched Ino rummage through her purse._

"_Ah-ha! I got it! Here, take this and make sure she get's a good whiff of it," Ino explained. She handed Sasuke an open bottle of who-knows-what and Sasuke held it up near his own nose before moving it away._

_Sasuke was no girl, but if he was…he was certain he would never carry anything fowl smelling, just waiting to be uncorked. "This is disgusting. Why do you carry it around?" _

"_It's for emergencies, like when people _faint_." Ino crossed her arms and motioned toward Sakura._

_Sasuke neared the small bottle to Sakura's nose. "She's going to hit me when she smells this."_

_Ino looked like she wanted to laugh. "No, she won't! Sakura would never—"_

_Sakura unconsciously whacked Sasuke's head with her hand. Sasuke backed away and handed the bottle to Ino. He was not a happy camper. _

"—_she hit me. I told you she would," Sasuke retorted._

_Ino smiled nervously and apologized as best as she could, "Ehehehe…sorry?"_

"_Hn. Whatever." Sasuke leaned on the paper towel dispenser next to Sakura and waited for Sakura to wake up. _

"_Hey! You listen here, buddy! I just helped your sorry ass and you can't even accept my apology? I have no idea what Sakura sees in you. For serious," Ino retorted. No one seemed to notice that Sakura was stirring as they continued arguing. _

_Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I could've handled this _myself_—" Suddenly, two arms were draped around his shoulders tightly and the faint smell of sweet strawberries reached his nose. _

"—_I want a Strawberry Daiquiri," Sakura mumbled into Sasuke's ear._

_End Flashback_

"…and that was it! You were out for like…ten minutes," Ino explained as the three girls sat down simultaneously in their chairs.

"Really? It seemed like an _eternity_," Sakura commented. She looked towards the bar and saw that Sasuke was talking to Naruto, who sauntered off a minute later. Just as the bartender was handing Sasuke the Strawberry Daiquiri, a black-haired woman sat down next to him and placed a hand on his knee, making Sakura look away instantly.

"_**That **_**BITCH**_**! Look at what she's doing! Fondling **_**your**_** innocent Sasuke! I'll show her—"**_ thought Inner Sakura, but Sakura ignored her.__

"_If he wants to let women flirt shamelessly with him, then let him do what he wants," _thought Sakura. It was then that she realized that Inner Sakura had claimed Sasuke.

"He's _not_ mine," Sakura mumbled aloud and covered her mouth when she realized her mistake. Ino and Tenten stopped talking, and turned to Sakura with questioning eyes.

"Say…how do you know, Sasuke? He's not one to socialize much with women," Tenten commented. Sakura pulled away her hand and shrugged.

"Oh! We met on a plane." Tenten looked amazed and Ino nudged her.

"That's not even the _good_ part," Ino commented. Sakura blushed and evaded their gazes. She was not going to fall for that—oh, shoot. Sakura couldn't handle the silence anymore.

"Okay, okay! I'll tell you. Before the plane took off, I was in the bathroom with my shirt off—"

Tenten giggled, "_Geez_, Sasuke must've been _anxious_."

Sakura ignored the Tenten's implication and continued her story, "I was drying off my shirt in the bathroom. _Alone_. Then, Sasuke barged in and attacked me like a savage animal with his _mouth_."

"Aww! I never get tired of hearing that story!" Ino squealed.

Tenten commented, "I have to admit, it _is_ pretty romantic." Ino nodded in agreement. Sakura looked appalled at her two friends. How dare they take Sasuke's side!

"He was a potential _rapist_! I could've lost my sacred virginity!" Tenten wasn't affected by Sakura's implication of being raped and Ino just ignored it.

"But you _didn't_, so it doesn't matter. Besides…" Ino's voice trailed off and out of the corner of her blue eyes she caught sight of, in her opinion, the _hottest_ man alive.

"…oh_-em-GEE_! Who is _that_?" Ino's eyes twinkled and sparkled.

Tenten and Sakura looked in the direction of Ino's gaze. They saw a dark-haired man that was lazily drinking an alcoholic beverage at the bar. Sakura wasn't interested and Tenten looked confused.

"Are you talking about _Shikamaru_? The guy with the pineapple-shaped hair?" Ino nodded dreamily, but then turned to Tenten with a suspicious gaze.

"What a second…how do _you_ know him?" Ino questioned. Tenten rolled her eyes at Ino's newfound jealousy/suspicion.

"First of all…I'm happily _married_, so don't get all jealous. Second, my husband, Hyuuga Neji, works at the same company that Shikamaru works for. Third, everyone at that company has been friends since before high school. So…if you want, I could—" Ino's eyes widened and she took Tenten's hands in hers.

"…he's so _hot_! You _have_ to introduce me!" Before Ino could turn to Sakura with a pleading look, Sakura smiled and waved her off.

"Go get'm tiger!" Ino squealed and jumped up off her seat with Tenten behind her. Sakura stood up and walked towards the dance floor, but realized she had no partner. Either turn around and look like a total loser OR pretend she had planned to lean against the wall. Sakura opted for the latter.

"_Well…isn't this _nice_? I run into my ex-boyfriend and I faint. Great, just _great_. Hey…where's my Strawberry Daiquiri?"_ thought Sakura.

"_**Don't you remember? Sasuke was going to get it for you when that BITCH started molesting him—"**_ thought Inner Sakura. Sakura crossed her arms and frowned.

"_That's right…my date also deserted me. This has been the best night of my life."_

"_**It COULD be worse…"**_

"_Don't say that! When people say that _bad_ things happen—" _Sakura's train of thought was interrupted by a particular brown-eyed male by the name of Renji.

"Aww, Sakura…don't tell me your date ran away?" Renji questioned. He leaned on the wall beside Sakura and Sakura was positive he was mocking her. She scanned the bar again and saw that Sasuke was _still_ with the black-haired woman. It was then that she realized that the black-haired woman was _Kin_, Renji's fiancée.

"No, he's here," Sakura answered coldly. Surprisingly, Renji smiled softly and Sakura was confused. The last time he smiled like that was before they broke-up, when Renji was nicer.

"No need to lie. My date disappeared, too." Sakura crossed her arms and refused to look at Renji's smiling face. It reminded her too much about the old days and she was not going to let herself be sucked in by his little lies and fake smiles.

"Well, maybe you should put a _leash_ on your fiancée so she stops flirting with single men." Sakura realized what she had said, but it was too late to take it back.

"_**Well, wasn't that a nice serving of verbal diarrhea?"**_ thought Inner Sakura. Sakura herself couldn't bring herself to look at Renji. It _was_ a pretty rude thing to say to him.

"Heh, I don't mind. Besides…I wanna spend some time with you." Sakura almost laughed out loud. Spend time? With her _EX_? No way, Jose.

Sakura smiled politely and started walking away from Renji. "Well, it was nice talking to you…but I gotta go save my date from a molester." Renji shook his head and grabbed Sakura's arm.

"One dance. For old time's sake," Renji pleaded. Sakura looked away from him. His face was pleading her so bad she wanted to laugh. It was awfully _pathetic_.

"How about—" Sakura stopped talking when an arm suddenly encircled her waist and pulled her away from Renji. Sakura was now facing a chest, a very _muscular male_ chest in a nice suit.

"You wouldn't mind if _I_ danced with _my_ _date_, would you?" It was _Sasuke_! Her savior! Thank the heavens!

"I asked _first_—"

Renji glared, but the young Uchiha was unmoved. Sasuke interrupted in a firm voice, "—and I don't give a _damn_." Sakura inwardly gasped at Sasuke's use of language. She could just imagine the look on Renji's face.

"Jerk—"

"—is that the best you can do? You're a lost cause, but maybe a desperate gold-digger, like _Kin_, will take you in," Sasuke interrupted again.

"Gold-digger? You mean like Sak—!" Sasuke didn't need to hear the whole sentence to know what Renji was going to say. Before Renji could land a punch on Sasuke, Sasuke had already punched him square in the face. Renji staggered back and fell on the ground.

"_Never_ insult Sakura's honor. She's worth more than both you and Kin put together."

Sasuke gave Renji a last mocking look before leading Sakura away, who, turned and stuck her tongue out at Renji. Renji was left speechless, rubbing the pain in his jaw. Once they were a good distance away, Sakura finally regained use of her vocal cords and her muscles, and hugged Sasuke closely. He was behaving so differently from his normal uptight, stick-in-his-ass personality.

And Sakura _loved_ it. She liked this new side of Sasuke, where he was like girl's dream prince.

"Oh-my-god! Sasuke! That was so cool! The look on his face was _priceless_! I thought I was a goner when you left me! I thought I was going to get hurt again, but then you came…" Sakura looked at Sasuke with pure admiration and he simply smirked.

"…and you defended my _honor_! No one's ever done anything like that before!" Sakura was thoroughly convinced that under Sasuke's nonchalant and stoic façade, he really _was_ a good guy.

"I told you to trust me, didn't I?" The lights in the room dimmed significantly and a slow song began to play. Unconsciously, Sasuke pulled Sakura closer and Sakura put her arms around Sasuke's neck. They swayed to the slow rhythm and the calming affect made Sakura lean her head on Sasuke's chest.

"Yeah…but I don't know, you seemed _busy_," Sakura commented. Sasuke looked down at Sakura and raised an eyebrow, even though she couldn't see him.

"_Busy? Busy doing _what_?"_ thought Sasuke.

"_**Can't you tell? She thought you LEFT her when you didn't come back from the bar. And they call YOU the **_**smart one**_**,"**_ thought Inner Sasuke.

"_Che. Whatever…"_ Sasuke looked at his watch. _"It's practically midnight…just a few minutes away."_

"_**Really? WOW! Time FLIES when you're having FUN…"**_

"_Shut up."_ Sasuke continued to sway to the slow music with Sakura in his arms, lost in thought of previous events.

_Flashback_

"_One strawberry Daiquiri," Sasuke ordered at the bar. The bartender nodded and skillfully proceeded to put together the drink._

"_Coming right up, sir." Sasuke took a seat when Naruto plopped down beside him with a huge grin on his face._

"_So…" Naruto began hesitantly. Sasuke looked at his blonde friend suspiciously. Whenever his best friend began a sentence with 'So…' it usually meant he was hoping to hear something specifically._

"…_have you kissed her?" Sasuke gave Naruto a blank look. What kind of question was that?_

_Sasuke replied, "Why would I?" Naruto erupted with laughter for approximately three seconds before becoming serious._

"_It's obvious that you love Sakura-chan. You haven't kissed her tonight, so are you planning to? Maybe I can help—"_

_Sasuke interrupted, "Where do you get all this nonsense?" Naruto looked baffled and waved his arms around. _

"_It's not nonsense! I have valid proof. I can take this to _court_!"_

"_Proof? Are you kidding me?" Sasuke looked skeptical, but Naruto grinned mischievously and rubbed his hands together. _

"_I've seen the way you look at her. The way you protected her from Renji. The way you carried her in your arms when she fainted. The way you entered the building. You love her, and I have Kiba who is willing to testify on my side."_

_Sasuke was outraged. Kiba couldn't possibly have anything meaningful to say. "You're both a bunch of lunatics. I _don't_ love Sakura." Naruto almost peed himself trying to hold in his laughter. Sasuke was so _funny_ sometimes. _

"_Well…maybe you don't _love_ her, but you at least _like_ her. You treat her differently," Naruto explained, but Sasuke wasn't convinced. _

"_So?"_

"_So? SO…give her a chance. Go on a _real_ date with her. Heck, she's _perfect_ for you. She's fun and you're no fun at all. She's nice and you are a jerk sometimes. She _completes_ you." _

_Sasuke wasn't moved at all by Naruto's heartfelt speech. "…what kind of cheesy movies do you watch?"_

"_Hey! Don't insult the quote. You'd be a real loser if you didn't snatch her up and slide that ring on her finger," Naruto warned. _

_Sasuke countered, "Looks who's talking." Another person was approaching the bar, determined and ready to seduce. _

"_Fine. Don't take my advice. But I know you well…" Naruto began. He had known Sasuke for more than fifteen years. There was no way Sasuke could keep a secret with Naruto around. _

"…_no one wants to be that loser who doesn't get kissed on New Years. Not even _you_." With that said, Naruto gave one last grin to Sasuke and a thumbs-up before sauntering away to his beloved Hinata. _

"…but that doesn't mean I'll admit it to anyone else," _thought Sasuke._ _He turned to the bartender who had the Daiquiri ready and was about to take it, when someone sat down in Naruto's seat and slid a hand onto his knee. _

"_Hey handsome," greeted a familiar dark-haired woman. There was a gleam in her eyes, a very _sluttish_ and _skanky_ gleam._

"_Don't touch me." Sasuke brushed her hand off his leg and glared at her. He didn't appreciate her pathetic attempts at flirting. Very BAD flirting. _

"_Aww, you know you like it," Kin purred. She tried to put her hand on Sasuke's leg again, but he smacked it away. _

"_I don't."_

_Kin batted her eyelashes and put a hand over her left breast. "I'm irresistible. _No one_ can reject me." She was going to get her way with the Uchiha or _else_. _

"_I just did," Sasuke replied. Kin disguised her anger and tried to sound nice and hopeful._

"…_how about a kiss?" Kin puckered up her lips and Sasuke moved down a seat at the bar. _

"_No, thanks." Kin moved to Sasuke's previous seat and grinned "seductively". Sasuke was getting more and more annoyed by the second._

"_I can show you a good time at a small _price_. Are you interested?" Kin offered._

"_Not interested. I have my date," Sasuke replied. Last time he checked, this wasn't a street corner crowded with _prostitutes_. _

_Kin fumed. "What is your problem? How is that _slut_ better than _me_?" _

"_She's not a slut." If there was one thing Sasuke definitely didn't like, it was people who insulted nice people. Nice people like _Sakura_._

"_Ha, don't make me laugh." Kin chuckled and her gaze landed on a nervous Sakura trying to push Renji away. _

"…"

_Kin frowned and pointed to the other corner of the room. "Oh? Then it's a different pink-haired woman flirting with _my _fiancé! She's trying to _steal_ my fiancé! You might as well steal _me_!" _

_Sasuke looked to where Kin pointed and almost laughed. "I believe it's the other way around. Your fiancé is flirting with my woman because she's actually _worth_ stealing."_

"**Did you just say…MY woman?! Yes, you did! Sakura-chan is **_**ours**_**!" **_exclaimed Inner Sasuke. He opened up a bag of confetti and threw it all around while blowing into a trumpet. _

"_How dare you!" Kin shouted. She slammed her hand on the bar and Sasuke stood up to leave._

"…"

_Kin was officially humiliated, but she wasn't going down yet. "Don't walk away from me! No one walks away from Kin! _No one_—"_

"—_Except Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke interrupted. He smirked and walked off to save his date from the evil clutches of Renji, the ex-boyfriend of Sakura. _

_End Flashback_

"It's been a wonderful night so far! Keep partying the night away, but we're starting the New Years countdown!" spoke someone with a microphone. Sasuke looked down and saw that Sakura was staring blankly into space, as if in deep thought.

"_**You gotta kiss him. He defended you HONOR. He **_**deserves**_** a kiss,"**_ shouted Inner Sakura.

"_No. He defended my honor, but that doesn't mean he get's a kiss…but he does look really handsome tonight," _thought Sakura. She wasn't one to do things without reason, but she knew how to appreciate a man. Especially _good-looking_ men.

"10!"

"_**Kiss her! Listen to Naruto! He speaks the truth!"**_ thought Inner Sasuke.

"_He's a complete lunatic,"_ thought Sasuke. Of course, he didn't want to be the loser who didn't get kissed on New Years', but there was something holding him back. He just didn't know what _it_ was and what to do about it.

"9!"

"_**Sakura! All it takes is a little bit of effort. You're already less than a foot away…"**_ begged Inner Sakura. Girls have needs, you know.

Sakura bit her lip and looked down. _"You're right…but I couldn't just KISS him. He'd get mad…"_

"8!"

"_**Why are you so stubborn? Can't you just let loose? Geez, sometimes I wish **_**I**_** could take over and do what you won't do!"**_ Inner Sasuke really wanted to land a punch on Sasuke.

"_Too bad you can't."_

"7!"

"_**Don't be scared! I'll bet he wants to kiss you too…"**_

"_I doubt it. Besides…I really don't want to kiss him."_ Sakura almost laughed. Who was she kidding?

"6!"

"_**Loser! **_**Loser**_**! You aren't getting kissed on New Years! MEH!"**_

"_Che, whatever. I don't even want to kiss her."_

"5!"

At that exact moment, Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other. Onyx met emerald, both equally undecided, just as all the lights in the room were turned off. The only light in the glass building was from the moonlight.

"4!"

Sakura looked away from Sasuke's handsome face and inwardly sighed. _"He looks so handsome tonight. I have to…"_

"_**Then do it! You can't resist his hot, sexy, Sasuke-ness! Heck, I was drooling over him even before I saw his smexy face!"**_

"3!"

"_**Check out those lips! Wouldn't **_**I**_** like to plant one on her?"**_ teased Inner Sasuke. Sometimes he wished he could switch places with the prude (a.k.a _Sasuke_).

Without her knowing, Sasuke looked at Sakura's perfectly formed, red lips. _"Her lips…Damnit! I can't." _

"2! 1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Couples surrounding Sasuke and Sakura on the dance floor hugged, kissed, and jumped into each other's arms. Onyx and emerald met once again. Sasuke slowly tilted his head and Sakura parted her lips. Time stopped entirely.

"Sa…"

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

_Preview for Next Chapter:_

"Sasuke-kun! You've been robbed!"

-

"…is this a _table_?"

-

"Sasuke, you really amaze me sometimes. You actually took my advice."

"Shut up."

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.N. Oooooo! A cliffhanger! The suspense is driving you insane, isn't it?

I hadn't planned on stopping this chapter there, hence the repeated preview, but this chapter would have been extremely long so I just cut it off at the best spot. Quite frankly, this chapter was one of my favorites to write…though I did run into a session of minor-writer's block in the beginning, then there was MAP testing, AP tests and finals, so I was REALLY busy.

Please review! Tell me what you loved, liked and didn't like as much. If you have any cute little one-liners and jokes put them in your review! You might see it in a future chapter!

Any theories about what's going to happen for next chapter? Include that too. I love reading what you guys think might happen next.

Well, I hope you all forgive me for the **extremely** late update. I'm doing summer school to get ahead in my credits, but I'll try my very best to update a lot faster than last time. I'll even make a list of things to do after I get home from school. I'm all set. )

1. Eat

2. Go outside/be active

3. WRITE _WRITE_ **WRITE**!

4. Shower

5. Sleep

I thought people stopped reading my story, but turns out people are still _reviewing_ too. Thanks a bunch! It's nice to know that you're all still with me even after my long absence.

Everyone have a **great**, FUN summer!

Until next time!

Kawaii-llely-chan


	7. Luck Is On My Side

A.N. Look at that! I updated today just like I promised because I love you all! Be prepared for some surprises in this chapter, but I think you'll enjoy them for the most part. :)

So, what's to be of that New Years' kiss? Read to find out and don't forget to comment on…well, you'll _know_ what it is once you read it. –wink wink-

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the plotline (which inspired this story) from **A Lot Like Love**, or anything related to that movie for that matter. I also don't own the title (which I am borrowing), that belongs to **_Colin Patrick Lynch_**. **

Oh. And the CENTERED BOLD phrases are SONG LYRICS. Okay, carry on! :)

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.Lot._Like.__**Love.**_

Chapter Seven:** Luck Is On My Side**

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

_4 years ago_

_She realized something_

_4 years ago_

_She could tell __**him**_everything

_Even if __**he**__ didn't _care

_Even if __**he**__ wasn't _there

-

-

-

Couples surrounding Sasuke and Sakura on the dance floor hugged, kissed, and jumped into each other's arms. Onyx and emerald met once again. Sasuke slowly tilted his head and Sakura parted her lips. Time stopped entirely.

"Sa…" Sakura breathed. She couldn't even finish his name. Her heart was beating _that_ fast and the close proximity didn't help the situation. Sasuke was leaning in towards Sakura and she wasn't stopping him. For some strange reason Sakura wanted Sasuke to kiss her, but something in the back of her mind startled her. That kiss was going to be on hold.

_He's here with _you_ because _you_'re the girl he kissed on the airplane. If it would have been that brunette across the room, he'd be here with _her_. You were just _lucky_._

Before Sasuke got any closer, Sakura wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head on his chest. Sasuke was a little surprised, but he held her in his arms anyway. The logical Sakura wanted to believe the nagging voice in the back of her mind, but Sakura's hopeful side didn't.

"_Maybe our meeting was based on luck, but our friendship isn't. I know it isn't. There has to be a reason. I just…don't know what it is,"_ thought Sakura. She wanted there to be a reason for why Sasuke was still hanging out with her, and vice versa. It couldn't be based on the sole fact that they kissed on an airplane.

All that insightful thinking led Sakura to remember something. She leaned her head up towards Sasuke's ear and whispered, "Sasuke…I never got my strawberry daiquiri."

"You never came to the bar," Sasuke replied. Sakura gaped and jabbed his chest with her finger.

"I assumed _you_ were going to _bring_ the drink to me, Sasuke."

"_**So how was the kiss? …Hahahaha!" **_voiced Inner Sasuke. Sasuke was annoyed. He didn't like being teased, especially by someone who wasn't real.

"_Shut up."_ He began leading Sakura to the bar and growled, "I'm not your _servant_."

Sakura pouted. He had been so _nice_ just a few moments ago, rescuing her from her evil ex-boyfriend, but he just had to ruin it. Way to ruin the _beautiful_ moment.

Sasuke motioned for Sakura to sit on a bar stool while he leaned his back on the bar. The bartender rushed over and Sasuke voiced their order in such a way that Sakura barely heard it.

Or _maybe_ it was because her heart was still thumping at a million beats per minute and that was all she could hear. The beating of her heart that echoed like a bass drum.

"I _need_ to let loose. I feel like I have too much energy," Sakura commented. Sasuke handed her the oh-so-coveted Strawberry Daiquiri.

"That's what _alcohol_ is for."

Even logical, reasonable Sakura shut up.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

Sakura swung her head back and forth to the thumping beat, and her body swayed under the colorful, blinking lights.

**Just like it's snowing in the summertime**

"Just like it's snowing the summertime…" She sang along softly. She grinned and twirled around Sasuke on the dance floor. He stared at her with his arms crossed. Why did he have to bring such a _lightweight_ to a party? _Why_? It was going to be a real pain getting her home.

Sakura was officially _drunk_, but there was _no way_ she was going to admit it.

**Something's different and I can't explain it**

"Come on, Sasuke-_kuuun_! Sing along! Don't be a –hiccup- _party pooper_!"

And along with Sakura's obnoxious, drunken behavior came the added honorific to Sasuke's name.

-kun. Sasuke-_kun_.

**It's like I'm breathing in sunshine**

"The loudspeakers are loud enough, Sakura," Sasuke said. Sakura pouted, in a very cute manner, furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms. Was she going to throw a _temper tantrum_?

Oh, _hell no_.

"But Sasuke-kuuun! It's _fun_…" Sakura whined.

**It's taken over and I can't contain it**

**This love is changing me**

**It brought me to my knees**

**Now it's teaching me to fly…!**

She danced around while singing the words to the song really softly. All of a sudden, Sakura lost her footing and before Sasuke could extend his hand to her, she fell on the dance floor

Sakura rubbed her butt. "Ouch. That hurt." Luckily, no one else was sober enough to care at that moment. And it was then that Sakura heard a baritone chuckle echoing in her ears. The resonating sound was smooth, deep and _sexy_. Even more surprisingly…

…it was _Sasuke-kun_!

There he stood in all his Uchiha glory, chuckling with his eyes crinkled in amusement at Sakura's misfortune.

**That's how it feels to be with you**

**It's like I'm finally alive **

**That's how it feels to be with you**

"Sasuke_-kuuun_! That really hurt," Sakura moaned. Sasuke extended his hand to her, but Sakura gave him a defiant look instead of accepting his help. Eventually, Sakura gave in and accepted Sasuke's hand, but not without pulling him towards the ground. Sasuke fell right next to Sakura and he _really_ tried to be mad, but he couldn't. The only he heard was Sakura's contagious carefree laughter and soon Sasuke was laughing too. It might have also been the previous alcohol he consumed, but nonetheless his prior anger and frustration was gone.

**To be with you**

"Come on, Sasuke-kun! Let's go get another -hiccup- drink!" Sakura suggested. She stood up and dragged Sasuke to the bar stools. The pair had gone to the bar so many times that the bartender already knew what they wanted. Just as Sakura was about to grab her Strawberry Daiquiri, Sasuke handed it to a woman passing by.

"Wha…_why_? That was _mine_!" Sakura argued. She tried to go after the woman, but Sasuke held her by the waist. There was no way he was letting anymore alcohol get in Sakura's drunken system.

"You've had _more_ than enough, Sakura," Sasuke whispered into Sakura's ear. She struggled in his grip and whimpered when Sasuke began to drink his Piña Colada. She was really thirsty and she was willing to share Sasuke's drink if she had to.

**I always thought I was invincible**

So, Sakura grabbed a nearby straw and shoved it in Sasuke's drink. Sasuke didn't even bother questioning Sakura's normal drunken behavior until Sakura began drinking from his drink.

**I never knew that I was waiting on a breakthrough**

"Stop…" Sakura quivered her lower lip and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "_Fine_, but just this once." Sakura grinned and took Sasuke's drink into her hands. It was quite the sight. Sasuke sitting on his bar stool with Sakura pressed up against his chest while drinking her Piña Colada. _Kawaii!_

**My heart was always only half full  
Until the moment that I finally found you**

Sasuke looked down at Sakura, quietly sipping on her beverage like a little girl. She was such a child when she was drunk. Sakura felt someone's eyes on her and she looked up at Sasuke. She grinned and held the drink up to Sasuke. He drank the rest of it and he felt a sudden buzz surge through his body just as Sakura dragged him to the dance floor once more.

**It's everything I dreamed  
Even more it seems  
To fall into your arms..!**

"Let's dance, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura draped her arms around Sasuke's neck and just swayed. Sasuke gave in and held Sakura's waist. She wasn't going to remember anything anyways. She was due for a _massive_ hangover.

"Hey Sasuke-teme! Where have you been all this time?" questioned a loud voice. Naruto and Hinata slow danced next to Sasuke and Sakura.

"With Sakura," Sasuke replied. Naruto looked at Sakura's drunken form and laughed. "You got her _drunk_? What kind of boyfriend are you?"

Sakura perked up and grinned when she saw Naruto and Hinata. "Oh-my-_god_! Hey! I haven't seen you guys in –hiccup- _forever_!"

Hinata smiled, she was probably the only sober person left in the party. Naruto, on the other hand, was probably just as drunk as Sakura, but his obnoxious behavior remained the same.

"I know, _right_? Did Sasuke-teme lock you up in a dark closet or something?"

Sakura laughed and suddenly yawned. "Nah, but I fainted. Say…where's Ino-pig? I think I wanna go home soon." She separated herself from Sasuke and walked away in a random direction. Hinata, not wanting to let a drunken Sakura wander around, followed after her. "I'll g-go w-with you."

Sasuke walked away from the dance floor and Naruto followed close behind. "Sasuke-teme! Where ya going?" Sasuke reached the bar and took a swig from a random beer lying around. Naruto sat in a stool next to him and laughed.

"Man! You're so _wasted_…just like _me_! You should probably take Sakura home. Man, I'm going to miss this place…" Naruto chuckled, but Sasuke suddenly remembered something very _important_.

"_I have her camera,"_ thought Sasuke. He remembered exactly where he left it. At his office.

"Shit. Shit. _Shit_," Sasuke cursed. He left Naruto sprawled over the bar and searched for Sakura. When he found her, he was very surprised. Very, _very_ surprised.

Sakura and Ino were standing on a table doing the can-can to some degree, laughing and swinging their dresses around. Shikamaru was trying to stop Ino from flashing her underwear to the gathered perverted men. Hinata, Neji and Tenten were trying to break up the crowd, and absolutely _no one_ was trying to stop Sakura. Sakura (normally well-behaved, sweet and kind) was being very _naughty_.

Sasuke pushed through the crowd and made a grab for Sakura's hand, but missed. Sakura stopped dancing and continued laughing while clutching her stomach. She was dangerously close to the edge of the table.

"Sakura, come down!" Sasuke shouted. Sakura waved him off and stepped closer to edge. The table toppled to the side and Sasuke caught Sakura in his arms before she landed on the ground.

Sakura beamed and looked into Sasuke's pools of onyx. "Aren't I lucky to have someone –hiccup- like you around?" Sasuke and Shikamaru nodded at each other before he left with Sakura.

"We're leaving," Sasuke said. Sakura pouted and hiccupped. "But _why_? I was –hiccup- having so much _fun_…" Naruto waved at the pair as they exited the building. While walking towards Sasuke's car, Sakura was surprisingly quiet. Sasuke hoped it was because she was regaining soberness.

"I'm tired. Can I sleep at your place, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned. She leaned her head against Sasuke's chest. She didn't really mind being carried bridal-style.

"Don't you have a house?"

Sakura blushed and twiddled her fingers, "Well…_Ino_ has the keys to the house." Sasuke suppressed a yawn and nodded. He trusted himself. It's not like _he_ was going to _take advantage of _Sakura.

Or the other way around, _right_?

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

"Sasuke-_kuuun_, why are we at your office? I wanna _sleep_," Sakura whined. She followed Sasuke out of the car and towards the tall corporate building. Sasuke pulled out a key from his pocket and opened the glass double doors.

"I have something of yours." Sakura followed Sasuke inside and giggled she heard her echoing footsteps.

"Really? What?" Sakura was still marveling at the fact that the building was completely empty. It's not everyday that she got the privilege to wander around an empty, corporate building.

Sasuke extended his hand out to Sakura and she skipped towards him. She wasn't good at walking with heels unlike when she was sober and Sakura fell on Sasuke. Luckily, Sasuke foresaw the event and was able to catch Sakura.

"You're especially clumsy when you're drunk," Sasuke commented. Sakura blushed and she blushed even _more_ when she looked up at Sasuke. Maybe it was the alcohol or the moonlight shining through the glass doors or maybe it was the fact that Uchiha Sasuke really _was_ sexy, but _boy_ did he look _sexy_.

The way his smoldering onyx eyes seemed to have a mysterious twinkle, and the way his pale skin and gravity-defying hair looked even _more_ flawless. Sakura couldn't even think of a witty comeback and she was barely able to speak because her throat went dry. "Th-thanks f-for…" And when she did, she sounded like a breathless fool.

Sasuke wasn't that well off either. The moonlight created a faint glow all around Sakura and the blush on her cheeks from the alcohol looked strangely _cute_. Turns out Sakura's eyes weren't _just_ green, they were a twinkling mix of silver and jade. Just when he thought it couldn't get any harder to look away, Sakura licked her top lip and his attention was brought to her plump, red lips.

For some reason, Sasuke stepped forward, which led Sakura to step back. It continued that way until Sakura's back was up against the inside of the elevator. The elevator doors automatically closed and the elevator began to ascend when Sasuke pressed the 3rd button.

Sakura was nervous. She remembered their fateful meeting in the airplane bathroom, how their lips and bodies fit together almost perfectly. Right now, she felt like this was her chance to feel that again.

"Sa-Sasuke…" Sakura hadn't meant for her voice to sound like a whimper, but it did…just as the young Uchiha dipped his head and captured Sakura's lips with his. Instinctively, Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and Sasuke held onto her waist. Despite the low temperature in the area, Sakura's lips were warm and soft.

"_**Whoa...never saw that coming,"**_ thought Inner Sasuke and Inner Sakura simultaneously.

Sakura gasped when Sasuke started nibbling on her bottom lip. Things started to heat up once Sasuke led both of them out of the elevator and towards his office. Sakura's legs were wrapped around Sasuke's waist and her svelte fingers were running through Sasuke's hair.

Sasuke pushed open the door to the work room with his side and carried Sakura past the empty cubicles. Amongst the sensual touches, Sakura noticed in her peripheral vision that there were no chairs, or computers or papers in any of the cubicles.

"Sasuke, you've been robbe—" Sasuke's soft lips captured Sakura's again and she forgot all about her previous thoughts. Once Sasuke kicked open the door to his office, Sakura decided it was her turn to take control of the situation. She pushed Sasuke onto his desk and straddled him. If Sasuke could've looked surprised, he probably did at that moment.

Sakura smirked and leaned down to kiss Sasuke, but he wasn't giving up that easily. Sasuke flipped Sakura over and she gaped, giving Sasuke the chance to swiftly slip his tongue inside. Her mouth tasted like strawberries and alcohol with a hint of pineapple. He normally didn't like strawberries, but he was willing to make an exception.

Sakura wrapped her legs around Sasuke's waist and flipped him over. As she was straddling him, Sasuke looked up at her. She looked unbelievably sexy with the straps of her dress sliding down her shoulders, her disheveled curls, swollen lips and that impeccable smirk. She looked like, dare he even _think_ it, a _seductress_.

It took all of Sasuke's self-control not to _pounce_ on her right then and there. But he did manage to slide down the top of her dress to reveal her lacy, crimson bra.

The temperature in the room seemed to rise a couple of degrees and Sasuke threw off his jacket when as he flipped Sakura over. Her hands immediately went for the buttons on his shirt and she admired his firm abs. Out of nowhere, Sakura yawned and wrapped her arms around Sasuke's bare torso.

"_I'm tired…"_ thought Sakura. She closed her eyes and Sasuke stared at her. And just when it was getting _good_!

"_**What?! No! No! No, no! Why do you do this to me? WHY?!"**_ cried Inner Sakura, but she was ignored. Sakura was away in dreamland in mere seconds. Sasuke held Sakura in his arms and blinked a few times. For a moment, he struggled to remember what happened just a few seconds ago.

Oh, _right_. The hot make-out session.

"_That's the last time I'm drinking alcohol with Sakura around,"_ thought Sasuke.

"_**So, you got your New Years' kiss…?"**_ questioned Inner Sasuke happily. Sasuke closed his eyes and frowned.

"_Just shut up."_

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

Around eight in the morning, Sakura awoke with a start. She sat up and rubbed her head, attempting to nurse the _killer_ hangover she felt. It was back to non-alcoholic drinks from now on.

"_What happened last night? I was probably so wasted,"_ thought Sakura. _"My back hurts, too! It feels like I slept on a stone _bench_…"_ She rubbed her back using both her hands and glanced down.

"…is this a _table_? No _wonder_ my back hurts!...ouch, that was loud."

Sakura moaned and held her head. She was busy rubbing her temples that she never noticed Sasuke sitting in a chair nearby.

"I told you not to drink so much," he commented. Sakura turned to him, looking completely startled and annoyed.

"Well…you're a _bad_ influence!...ouch, gotta stop yelling." Sakura pushed herself off the table and walked over to Sasuke. He was wearing a different outfit compared to last night and she certainly didn't remember going to house with him.

"You left me here all _alone_ to go to your house and _change_ outfits? What kind of friend are you?" whispered Sakura, trying not to worsen her headache.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and replied, "The kind that keeps spare clothes at his office." Sakura blushed and smiled nervously.

"Oh. Sorry…_man_, I need some coffee _ASAP_," Sakura groaned. Sasuke stood up and carefully led Sakura out of his office. "Me, too."

After the _eternal_ elevator ride and the walk to Sasuke's car, Sakura looked at current state. Her makeup and hair were in complete disarray and her dress was unbelievably wrinkled. Not to mention that she smelled like a bar.

She turned to Sasuke with a determined gaze. "You probably don't care, but there's _no way_ that I am going to go to a coffee place looking like _this_. You _better_ take me home to change," she growled. Sasuke rolled his eyes and the rest of the car ride was silent. When the car stopped in front of Sakura's house, she grinned and pecked Sasuke on the cheek.

"Thanks, Sasuke-kun!" She was gone and Sasuke leaned back in his seat. Now, all he had to do was _wait_. And wait.

And _wait_ some more.

Sasuke drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and he was caught off guard when a navy blue car honked beside him.

"Hey Sasuke-teme! Are you looking for Sakura-chan, too?" The obnoxious loudmouth jumped out of his car and leaned beside Sasuke's window. Sasuke wanted to bang his head on the steering wheel. Why did these things always happen to him?

"No. I'm _waiting_ for her."

"Yeah, well, so am I. Ino told me that she never came home last night. Did _you_ have anything to do with that?" Naruto wiggled his eyebrows and his gaze flickered to the front door of Sakura's house. "Oh, _look_! It's _Ino_! Hi, Ino!" Both blondes waved at each other enthusiastically.

"Hey Naruto! Sakura just came home! She looked like she had a _fierce_ night!" Ino leaned on the other side of Sasuke's car and eyed Sasuke carefully. She was completely sure that Sasuke had something to do with it.

"Yeah, I was just asking Sasuke-teme if he had anything to do with it." Suddenly all eyes were on Sasuke.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and replied, "If you're asking if I had sex with Sakura, the answer is _no_."

"_**But we COULD have…"**_ thought Inner Sasuke.

"_Shut up."_

Ino put up her hands and shrugged. "Well, all I'm saying is that you'll never be bored with Sakura around. I gotta go. See ya, guys." Ino did a backhand wave and skipped back towards the house.

"So…why are you waiting for Sakura?" Naruto questioned. He had his suspicious and he was pretty sure they were correct, but it was always more fun to make Sasuke admit to them.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and mumbled something. Naruto grinned and held a hand up to his ear. "I'm not quite sure I heard that right."

"SakuranadIaregoingtogetsomecoffee." Naruto held in his laughter and motioned towards Sasuke again.

"Can you repeat that _please_?" Sasuke was aware that Naruto was just teasing him, but it still frustrated him.

Sasuke snapped, "We're going to get some coffee. Happy?" He crossed his arms and glared at Naruto, but the blonde was beaming.

"_Very_ happy. You really amaze me sometimes. You actually took my advice."

"Shut up." Naruto saw the door to the house open again and waved at Sasuke.

"Whatever, Sasuke-teme! Have _fun_!" Sasuke honked his horn at Naruto, but the blonde continued laughing all the way to his car. A few moments later, the navy blue car drove off just as Sakura stepped into Sasuke's car again.

"What was _that_ all about?" she asked. She was now wearing a black ballet flats and a grey jumper on top of a pink, elbow-sleeved shirt. Her hair was up in a messy bun, but she still looked cute. Sasuke caught himself staring a little and looked away. Shrugging once, Sasuke drove to the nearest café, _Café du Soleil._

"Aww! I love this place! It has the best chocolate muffins!" Sasuke exclaimed. She stepped out of the car when they arrived and dragged Sasuke inside. It was still pretty early, only nine in the morning, and the café was practically empty. Sasuke liked this. After last night, he wasn't up for any noisy, crowded places.

"Ooh! Let's sit by a window!" The pair sat in a booth by large window. Sasuke noticed that Sakura was officially energized for someone with a hangover.

"Didn't you have a hangover?" Sasuke questioned.

Sakura nodded fervently. "Yeah! But Ino gave me these pain killer pill-things and now it's not as bad. I still want some coffee though…" The waitress/cashier approached their table while holding a small pad. "Do you guys want anything?"

"Two coffees. No sugar," Sasuke replied.

"Sugar in mine, please. Can I have a chocolate muffin, too?" As the waitress nodded and walked away, Sakura turned to Sasuke and grinned.

"You know what today is?"

"…Thursday?"

Sakura beamed and nodded. "Yeah! And you know what else?" Sasuke shook his head.

"Nothing bad has happened! Bad things _always_ happen on Thursdays. Aren't I lucky?" Sasuke would've come up with a sarcastic retort, but seeing Sakura happy on a Thursday was a rare occurrence so he just nodded.

"_Nothing bad has happened _yet_,"_ Sasuke thought.

"_**You're so mean,"**_ thought Inner Sasuke. Sasuke ignored his thoughts and took his coffee cup when the waitress arrived.

"Thank you!" Sakura exclaimed. She quietly sipped her coffee and replayed last night's events in her head.

Drunk. Drunk. Can-can dancing. Car. Blank?

Sakura could only remember so much after the can-can dancing. She looked at Sasuke curiously and asked, "_So_…anything interesting happen last night?"

Sasuke almost spit out his coffee. _Almost_.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

_Preview for Next Chapter(s):_

"_Funny_. That's not what you were calling me last night."

"Hmph. Sasuke-_kun_."

-

"This is going to sound awkward, but…_how_ do you choose?"

"If a career fails, you try again until you succeed. If a relationship fails, you can try again, but there's no guarantee that it will ever succeed."

"I see. That makes sense."

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

A.N. I could just imagine all of your jaws dropping during the little SasuSaku make out session. :) That was my **first** somewhat _detailed_ make out session, so I hope it didn't sound stupid. I tried to picture the events in my head and I think that helped. If any of you have tips on writing those kinds of scenes, _help me_! :)

I liked writing this chapter, especially the parts with drunken Sakura and Sasuke. Oh! And the song mentioned in second section of this chapter is **How It Feels** by **EleventySeven**. It's a good song and I thought it set the mood. Did you guys think it helped set the tone a little?

Well, I'd like to read what you all think of this chapter. Tell me what you loved, liked and didn't like as much. Do you have any theories about what's going to happen for next chapter? Include that too. I love reading what you guys think might happen next.

Now I'm off…to see the wizard! The wonderful wizard of Oz!

Until next time!

**Kawaii-llely-chan**

I'm hoping my _next update_ will be on _Sunday_, if not _definitely Monday_, just to give you guys an idea. :)


End file.
